Raleway
Originally designed by Matt McInerney as a single thin weight in 2010 for The League of Moveable Type, Raleway was expanded into a full 9-weight family by Pablo Impallari and Rodrigo Fuenzalida. This elegant neo-grotesque sans-serif features both old-style and lining numerals, discretionary ligatures, and a stylistic alternate set inspired by geometric sans-serifs, making it well-suited for fashion, lifestyle, and creative brands. Available as a variable font with a weight axis, it also includes a decorative companion family called Raleway Dots.
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 0123456789
About Raleway
- Designer
- Matt McInerney, Pablo Impallari, Rodrigo Fuenzalida
- Foundry
- League of Moveable Type
- Released
- 2010
- License
- SIL Open Font License 1.1
- Category
- Geometric Sans
- Recommended Weight
- 600
- Variable Axes
- weight
- Script Support
- Latin, Cyrillic, Vietnamese
- Available Weights
- 100200300400500600700800900
Pairs Well With
Merriweather
Merriweather's robust slab-influenced serifs ground Raleway's airy elegance, creating a balanced pairing where both fonts contribute distinct personality without competing.
Compare side by sideLato
Lato's semi-rounded humanist forms complement Raleway's geometric elegance, creating a sophisticated sans-on-sans pairing where Raleway handles headings and Lato takes body duties.
Compare side by sideOpen Sans
Open Sans' neutral, highly readable design serves as a dependable body font that lets Raleway's distinctive lighter weights shine in headings and display contexts.
Compare side by sideBitter
Bitter's sturdy slab serifs provide a strong contrast to Raleway's delicate thin weights, creating a pairing with excellent visual hierarchy for content-heavy sites.
Compare side by sideSimilar Fonts
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Montserrat
The Gotham of Google Fonts — urban, editorial, strong
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
DM Sans
Low-contrast geometric — Google's in-house workhorse
Albert Sans
Modern geometric grotesk — versatile and clean
Compare Raleway
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes Raleway stand out in lighter weights?
Raleway was originally conceived as a single Thin weight, and that origin shows — its Thin (100) and Extra-Light (200) weights have an exceptionally refined, almost calligraphic elegance that most geometric sans-serifs can't match. The letterforms were designed with thin strokes as the primary intent, rather than thinned down from a bolder master, giving them genuine grace.
Does Raleway have a companion dotted version?
Yes, Raleway Dots is a decorative companion family where every stroke is replaced with a dotted pattern. It's designed exclusively for display use at large sizes — think event posters, hero banners, or decorative titles. It shares the same metrics as Raleway, so you can layer or swap between them without layout shifts.
Is Raleway appropriate for luxury or fashion branding?
Raleway is a strong choice for luxury and fashion branding, especially when used in its lighter weights (100-300) at large display sizes. Its elegant proportions, discretionary ligatures, and stylistic alternates give designers the tools to create sophisticated logotypes and editorial layouts. However, for very high-end luxury, some designers prefer fonts with more pronounced contrast like Playfair Display for headings.