Your choice of email fonts is one of the design decisions that can make or break your message. You are probably wondering, “how so?”
The wrong font can make your carefully crafted email look unprofessional and sloppy. And nobody wants to read a sloppy text.
However, it’s understandable why many entrepreneurs, firms, and companies have a hard time choosing the perfect font for their emails. There are over 200,000 different fonts, and with such tons of options, it can get pretty confusing. But don’t worry, we’re here to help.
Below, we’ve curated a list of the 21 best fonts that will always look sharp, no matter what device or email client your recipient is using.
Benefits of Using the Right Email Font
1. Improve Readability
When emailing a client, the last thing you want is for them to have trouble reading your message. A good rule of thumb is to use a font that’s easy to read—like Arial or Times New Roman.
Arial and Time New Roman fonts are both classics for a reason. And if you’re sending an email with lots of images or intricate designs, you may consider using a less busy font like Tahoma or Georgia. They’ll help keep the focus on your content rather than on the graphics.
2. Boost Conversion Rate
When you use the appropriate email font, you can boost your conversion rate. Here’s how it works: specific fonts are more aesthetically pleasing than others, and people are more likely to act on good-quality emails.
For example, using a playful font in an email can result in a higher open rate than emails with a traditional font.
3. Impact Reader Judgment
When you use the right font in your email, you’re making a subconscious statement to your reader. You’re telling them that you respect their time and are willing to put in the extra effort to ensure their experience is good. The right font can help to clarify your message, while the wrong font can muddle it up and lead to confusion.
21 Best Email Fonts
We have discussed the importance of using the right email fonts. Now, what are the best ones available?
1. Times New Roman
Times New Roman is the default font for Microsoft Word and one of the most commonly used fonts for email. It’s a serif font that Stanley Morison designed in 1931.
Some of the characteristics of Times New Roman include its familiarity and legibility. It’s a good font for body text as it’s easy to read and has a classic look that will never go out of style. It’s safe to say that Times New Roman is one of the best email signature fonts.
2. Helvetica
Helvetica is one of the most popular fonts around. It’s clean, easy to read, and perfect for emails. Designed by Max Miedinger and Eduard Hoffman in 1957, Helvetica is a sans-serif font that’s been used in everything from advertisements to signage. And because it’s so versatile, it’s perfect for email design.
Its key characteristics include simplicity, round shapes, and neutral color. These make it perfect for reading long blocks of text—which is precisely what you want in an email.
3. Arial
If you’re looking for a dependable and professional signature font that will never go out of style, Arial is a great option. Arial is one of the most popular email fonts for a reason.
It’s easy to read on all devices, it’s versatile, and it’s timeless. Plus, Arial was designed to be used on screens, making it the perfect font for email.
Robin Nicholas and Patricia Saunders created the popular Arial font in 1982 when they were both employed by International Typeface Corporation (ITC). The Arial typeface was originally designed as an alternative to the Helvetica font, which was becoming increasingly popular.
4. Verdana
Designed by Microsoft in the 1990s, Verdana was meant to be highly readable on computer screens of all sizes, especially smaller ones.
It’s one of the few typefaces that has been designed for on-screen readability, and its letterforms are wider than other fonts with similar sizes, which makes it very legible.
Verdana is also optimized for printing on low-resolution devices and is considered one of the most versatile fonts available, as it can be used for both headlines/titles as well as body copy. It also supports various languages, making it an attractive option for multi-lingual campaigns.
Its availability across all major operating systems makes it an ideal tool for email marketers who want to reach all their subscribers without running into compatibility issues.
5. Georgia
Georgia is a classic for a good reason—it was designed in 1993 by world-renowned type designer Matthew Carter. Its elegant, clean lines and straightforward composition make it easy to read, even in small sizes. This is especially true when you compare it to other fonts.
It offers strong character recognition and crisp details at small sizes; its tiny serifs (the little lines at the end of some strokes) help distinguish between similar letters like C and O, and its semi-expanded width gives emails a classy look without taking up too much space.
Georgia’s popularity makes it one of the most widely available fonts, so your emails have a better chance of displaying correctly on any device or email client.
6. Tahoma
Tahoma is another great font for emails. It’s a sans-serif font with a classic, modern look to it. The main characteristics of this typeface include strong geometric shapes, a low x-height, and an overall balanced design.
It was designed by Matthew Carter in 1994 for the Microsoft Corporation and has since been used in many different projects. Tahoma is a great choice because it has excellent readability on both screens and printed materials.
Its large x-height allows for easier reading on small screens, while its strong geometric shapes ensure that the text retains its clarity even when resized or printed out. The letterforms also have an international flavor, making them easier to recognize even by readers who don’t use English as their native language.
7. Trebuchet MS
If you are looking for a sans-serif font that won’t fail you, Trebuchet MS is an excellent choice. Designed by Vincent Connare for Microsoft in 1996, this font has a modern, humanist look that works especially well for email signature.
What sets this font apart is its unique combination of rounded and smooth letterforms with more traditional letter shapes. This makes it stand out and draws the attention of the reader.
Plus, Trebuchet MS is extremely legible on both screens and print, making it a good choice if you want to reach your audience no matter which medium they are using.
8. Courier New
Courier New is an iconic email font; for a good reason, it was designed to be easily read on various devices. It has a simple appearance with a hint of old-fashioned charm, making your emails readable without being too flashy.
The font was designed by Howard Kettler in 1955 for IBM computers and released for public use with the release of Windows 3.1 in 1992. Even today, it’s still widely used in email programs due to its legibility and simple yet timeless design.
So what are the characteristics of Courier New?
It’s monospaced, which means each character is the same width; it features tall, thin lowercase letters, making it stand out more than other monospace fonts, and its upper and lowercase letters are easy to distinguish.
9. Garamond
Garamond is a classic serif font designed by French publisher Claude Garamond in the 16th century. It’s a timeless and easy-to-read font that makes a great choice for emails – be it newsletters, transactional emails, or any other type of communication.
The font comes in different variations, and one of its unique characteristics is that each letter in Garamond has an extra width – meaning that some of them take up more space than others. This gives the font an upright look and makes it easier to read quickly.
It’s legible in smaller sizes, making it great for email newsletters where space is limited. And since it creates an elegant and classic look and feels, Garamond can add sophistication to your emails.
10. Open Sans
Open Sans is a sans-serif font designed by Steve Matteson, and it is an excellent option for emails. The design was created with readability in mind, so it’s easy to read on screens of all sizes. It’s also versatile—it looks great in more prominent headlines and as smaller body text.
Additionally, Open Sans is compatible with almost any platform or device you can think of, so there’s no need to worry about compatibility issues. And finally, the letterforms are free of any decorative elements, which will help ensure that your messages look professional and presentable on any device.
11. Roboto
Roboto is a relatively new font on the scene, having been designed by Christian Robertson in 2011. It’s a sans-serif font designed specifically for digital devices and has become one of the most popular fonts for email marketers to use in their emails.
Roboto has a modern look with its geometric shapes and generous spacing. It also varies between thin and thick strokes, giving it more of a handwritten feel than traditional sans-serif typefaces. It’s also easy to read at smaller sizes, so you can fit more text into your email campaigns without sacrificing legibility.
Additionally, Roboto is highly customizable and web-friendly, so you can adjust its size, weight, and other attributes to help make your emails visually appealing and engaging. With its versatility and accessibility, Roboto is a great choice for any email marketing campaign in 2023.
12. Trebuchet MS
When choosing the best fonts for your emails, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. That’s why Trebuchet MS has been one of the go-to choices for years. It’s a tried-and-true font that’s versatile and easy to read on all devices.
Designed by Vincent Connare in 1996, Trebuchet MS was intended for use on the web. Its tall x-height and large counters help it remain legible at small sizes, making it perfect for mobile devices and email newsletters. And its wide range of weights and styles makes it an excellent choice for any message.
13. Lucida Sans
Lucida Sans is one of the most popular sans-serif fonts around. It was designed by Charles Bigelow and Kris Holmes in the early 1980s, and it’s been a mainstay of digital typography ever since.
Why is Lucida Sans so popular?
Well, it has several characteristics that make it perfect for email. It’s a clear, easy-to-read font with a modern feel, and it renders well on screens of all sizes. Additionally, it’s available in a wide range of weights and styles, so you can always find the perfect Lucida Sans for your message.
14. Calibri
Calibri is a sans-serif font designed by Lucida designer LucType. It’s one of the most commonly used fonts for email thanks to its balance of readability and style.
Some of the key characteristics of Calibri include its open counters (the spaces inside the letters), which make it easier to read in small sizes. It’s also a very versatile font that looks good in both headings and body text, making it perfect for emails.
15. Poppins
Poppins is another great font choice for emails. Developed by Indian Type Foundry, it’s a geometric sans-serif typeface designed by the Indian type designer Eben Sorkin.
Poppins have many desirable characteristics for email, including being legible and valuable in small sizes and tight letter spacing. It’s also diverse and can be used in various contexts.
Poppins includes five weights ranging from light to bold and italic styles. This range allows you to take advantage of the font’s versatility while ensuring that your email appears professional and put together.
16. Oswald
Do you want a reliable and “evergreen” font for all your email campaigns? Oswald might be the way to go.
Vernon Adams specifically designed this font as a re-interpretation of the classic “Alternate Gothic” sans serif typeface. Characteristics of Oswald include its even strokes and a large x-height, giving this font a highly legible and modern look while still appearing professional.
What makes Oswald better suited for email campaigns is its lack of fine details, which can be hard to render on screen. The simple letterforms make sure each character stands out, ensuring that your message reaches your audience in an unaltered form – no matter what device they view it on. Oswald is available in six weights – light, book, regular, medium, bold and black – so you’re sure to find something that works best for you.
17. Merriweather
Merriweather is a serif font designed by Sorkin Type, which has its roots in Old Style typefaces. Characterized by its wide proportions, Merriweather’s large x-height makes it highly readable—even in small sizes. It also features support for Latin and Cyrillic scripts, providing users with great flexibility.
When it comes to email design, Merriweather is one of the go-to fonts because it looks professional yet friendly at the same time. Additionally, its web-friendly nature makes it perfect for use in HTML emails. So go ahead and try this typeface—you won’t be disappointed.
18. Ubuntu
The Ubuntu typeface is a sans-serif font, meaning it has no decorative lines at the end of its strokes. It was designed by Dalton Maag, a typeface design studio based in London and Brazil. Ubuntu is an excellent choice for email content because it’s highly readable and versatile.
The font also has deep per-character kerning, which helps it look even more polished on-screen. And because of its clear, rounded lines, people find Ubuntu easy to read on all digital devices.
So if you’re looking for a pragmatic font for composing emails this year, Ubuntu is definitely worth checking out! It stands out from the crowd because of its subtle but distinctive aesthetic and versatility across different electronic devices.
19. Rubik
Rubik is a sans serif typeface designed by Philipp Hubert and Sebastian Fischer for Hubert & Fischer in 2010. It comes in 8 different weights, making it very versatile in terms of how it can be used. The letterforms have been carefully crafted to create an even texture and make for easy readability, both on-screen and offsite.
One key difference between Rubik and many other sans serif fonts is that each weight has a unique character, which helps to make your emails stand out from the crowd.
Its medium weight has been particularly popular with email marketers due to its clean, crisp look and compact body. It’s also optimized for web use, so you don’t have to worry about legibility issues on different devices.
20. Quicksand
This sans-serif font was designed by Andrew Paglinawan and is a perfect fit for modern emails. It has plenty of personalities and works nicely with small text sizes, making it great for those long emails.
Another positive about Quicksand is that it’s versatile enough for any occasion—from business emails to friendly conversations or creative storytelling.
Quicksand’s characteristics include its rounded edges, wide letterforms, and balanced x-heights. This combination makes it easy to read, giving your email content a modern appeal that is sure to make an impression on readers.
It also has a wide range of weights and styles, so you can easily customize your font choice to enhance the look and feel of your emails.
21. Oxygen
Last but not least is Oxygen. This sleek sans-serif font is the work of Vernon Adams, who designed it to be displayed and highly readable. It’s the perfect choice for a minimal and modern email campaign.
Oxygen has two different kinds of characters: regular ones and alternates. The alternates are designed with circular shapes and can give your content a bit of flair without straying away from a simplistic design. It also comes with light, regular, medium, and bold weights to choose from.
Oxygen is a font that will look great on both mobile devices and desktop screens, and it’s also easy to read, making it an ideal choice for email campaigns since readers need to quickly scan through the content without getting lost in the details.
Web-safe Font Vs. Web Font
When choosing email fonts, you have two options: web-safe and web fonts. Essentially, web-safe fonts are those that can be found on most computer systems, don’t need to be downloaded, and are safe to use in emails. These include fonts such as Arial, Times New Roman, and Georgia.
On the other hand, web fonts are custom font types you must download before using in your email. This is an option if you wish to stand out by using a unique font design.
Note that some of these web fonts may only be supported in specific email clients, so keep this in mind when making your choice. Generally, web-safe fonts work best since they’re compatible with all email clients.
Final Thoughts
The bottom line is that choosing the right email font is essential to the success of your marketing campaigns. And you can choose a great email font without being a design expert. Just remember to keep it simple, easy to read, and professional.
If you’re looking for inspiration, the 21 fonts listed above are all great for email marketing in 2023. So, what are you waiting for? Start experimenting with different fonts today to see what works best for you.