DM Sans
Commissioned by the DeepMind team with creative direction from MultiAdaptor and type design by Colophon Foundry, DM Sans is a low-contrast geometric sans-serif derived from the Latin portion of Poppins. Its clean geometric foundations with subtle humanist touches optimize readability at smaller text sizes, making it a strong choice for tech companies, SaaS products, and data-driven brands. Updated as a variable font with weight and optical size axes, it supports an extensive Latin Extended character set.
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
About DM Sans
- Designer
- Colophon Foundry
- Foundry
- Google / DeepMind
- Released
- 2019
- License
- SIL Open Font License 1.1
- Category
- Geometric Sans
- Recommended Weight
- 700
- Variable Axes
- weightoptical-size
- Script Support
- Latin Extended
- Available Weights
- 100200300400500600700800900
Who Uses DM Sans
Typewolf (Ranked #1 Best Google Font 2026).
Pairs Well With
DM Serif Display
DM Serif Display is the natural serif companion to DM Sans, both commissioned by DeepMind and sharing the same design DNA. Together they form a cohesive type system with clear hierarchy between display serifs and sans-serif body text.
Compare side by sideInter
Inter and DM Sans are both optimized for screen readability but bring different flavors — DM Sans' geometric foundations contrast with Inter's neo-grotesque precision, allowing for subtle typographic variety in UI-heavy applications.
Compare side by sideSimilar Fonts
Outfit
Clean geometric, modern SaaS — confident without being cold
Poppins
Friendly geometric with a touch of warmth — startup favorite
Montserrat
The Gotham of Google Fonts — urban, editorial, strong
Raleway
Elegant thin-to-bold range — beautiful in lighter weights
Comfortaa
Rounded geometric — soft, approachable, playful
Quicksand
Rounded and geometric — light, airy, wellness vibes
Josefin Sans
Vintage geometric — art deco undertones, distinctive
Jost
Futura-inspired — timeless geometric with modern proportions
Albert Sans
Modern geometric grotesk — versatile and clean
Compare DM Sans
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the relationship between DM Sans and Poppins?
DM Sans was derived from the Latin portion of Poppins but refined significantly by Colophon Foundry for DeepMind's specific needs. The key differences include reduced stroke contrast for better small-size readability, adjusted proportions, and an optical size axis that automatically optimizes letterforms for different point sizes. Think of it as Poppins' more serious, enterprise-ready sibling.
What does the optical size axis in DM Sans do?
DM Sans' optical size axis automatically adjusts letterform details based on the rendered size. At smaller sizes, counters open up, stroke contrast decreases, and spacing increases for better legibility. At larger display sizes, the design tightens up with more refined details and tighter spacing. This makes it one of the few Google Fonts that genuinely optimizes across both body and display use cases.
Why was DM Sans commissioned by DeepMind?
DeepMind needed a typeface for its research publications, presentations, and digital products that was geometric and modern but optimized for technical content with dense data and small labels. Colophon Foundry designed DM Sans (along with DM Serif Display and DM Mono) as a complete type system. The font was subsequently released as open source on Google Fonts, becoming one of the platform's most popular families.