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I have been given a small web project for an ecommerce store. The logo uses Bauhaus 93 and I am struggling to find good fonts to pair with this.

Bauhaus 93
Image borrowed from Identifont

Particularly I would prefer to only use Bauhaus for the logo and another 1-2 fonts for headings and body text.

Can anyone recommend some nice fonts to match Bauhau 93?

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  • I'd go as opposite as you can for contrast. Maybe a nice serif text face.
    – DA01
    Commented Aug 15, 2013 at 19:12
  • I agree with @DA01. But not too nice. Bembo wouldn't do, for example. Ultimately this must be entirely subjective.
    – Andrew Leach
    Commented Aug 15, 2013 at 20:44
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    Yea, I'm rethinking my own advice now. I'm wondering if a neutral sans is the way to go. There's certainly going to be subjectivity to whatever answer.
    – DA01
    Commented Aug 15, 2013 at 21:16

2 Answers 2

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A typical principle for font pairing is contrast. If there's a sans-serif in the header, using a serif for the body copy is a great way to provide contrast.

However, I don't think that principle applies here. The typeface in question is so funky, so quirky, and has so much style that it would probably benefit from a cousin that's a lot more simply drawn.

I did a little bit of poking into Bauhaus the typeface, and I came across this very interesting article. "Bauhaus"-like typefaces are based off a drawing by Herbert Bayer, a member of the Bauhaus:

Herbert Bayer's Universal typeface drawing

My initial thought was to look at some other Bauhaus typography to complement the Bauhaus font, but as the article points out, this wasn't typical of Bauhaus typography. But looking at the drawing strips away a lot of the funkiness and makes it clear that it is definitely a geometric typeface, and it fits in with the constructivist style as well.

So, if you're looking to keep it "in the family" but provide some differentiation, I'd recommend you try Futura or Avenir. Twentieth Century MT and Century Gothic are lesser alternatives, but you might have those available on your computer already. The Fonts In Use article has a nice list of "Geometric, contructivist typefaces based on the design ideas of the Bauhaus" at the bottom if you want more ideas. Some of those would be really interesting choices for secondary headers.

Here's Bauhaus 93 paired with Futura:

Bauhaus and Futura

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I'd go with either a grotesque or geometric sans. Lots of other possibilities exist but these are some good categories with lots of solid, reliable options. Both commercial and free web fonts exist that will solve your dilemma.

Paid

Akzidenz Grotesk (nevermind, it's not available for web)

FF Bau
enter image description here

Univers
enter image description here

Helvetica Neue (because people insist, but I refuse to link it!)

Freebies

If you're on a budget, free is always nice. Good thing Google's got your back. These aren't all grotesque or geometric, strictly speaking, but they would fit the bill. They are all exceptionally well built fonts. Especially for the price.

Roboto
enter image description here

Open Sans
enter image description here

Source Sans
enter image description here

Merriweather Sans (this one is really impressive)
enter image description here

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  • Has your back and is watching over your shoulder.
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    Commented Aug 15, 2013 at 23:14
  • Not really over your shoulder since they know your data before you do ;)
    – plainclothes
    Commented Aug 15, 2013 at 23:32

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