How to Use Fontjoy to Generate and Customize a Font Pairing

Updated

Fontjoy generates font pairings with a neural net: click Generate to get a new combination, use Lock to keep the fonts you like, and use Edit to choose a font manually. The preview text is editable, so you can replace it with your company name or other copy. This works for anyone who needs a quick heading-and-body pairing to start from; you still make the final design judgment yourself.

Core workflow

  1. Generate a pairing. Click Generate to create a new font pairing. Each click produces a fresh combination, so you can cycle through options quickly.
  2. Lock what works. When one font in a pairing fits, click Lock on that font. Locked fonts stay in place while you generate again, so you can search for a better partner for a font you've already chosen.
  3. Edit manually if needed. Click Edit to choose a font yourself instead of relying on the generated suggestion.
  4. Test with real copy. Replace the sample text with your company name, a headline, or a paragraph of body copy. The pairing should be judged on the text you'll actually set, not on placeholder words.

What the tool is doing

Fontjoy's stated goal is to select fonts that share an overarching theme yet have a pleasing contrast. Which fonts work together is largely a matter of intuition, but the site approaches the problem with a neural net; it points to GitHub for more technical details. In practice, treat the output as a starting point: the tool proposes contrast, and you confirm it reads well at your sizes and in your layout.

Practical checks before you commit

  • Contrast, not clash. A display font for headings plus a quieter text face for body copy is the common pattern. If both fonts compete for attention, lock one and regenerate.
  • Lock deliberately. Locking too early narrows the search space. If you're unsure, generate a few pairings first, then lock the font that keeps appearing in your favorites.
  • Edit with a reason. Manual selection is useful when brand guidelines require a specific typeface; use Edit to slot it in, then let Generate find a partner.
  • Check the real context. The preview is editable for a reason — a pairing that looks fine in sample text can fail in a long paragraph or a tight navigation bar.

Related resources on the site

The page also links to a Font visualizer, a Logo maker, and a Github page for technical details, plus an occasional newsletter about Fontjoy and deep learning. If you want to inspect a typeface more closely before pairing it, the visualizer is the natural next stop.

The site does not state pricing or login requirements on this page, so don't assume the tool is free or account-free without checking.