Source Sans 3

Name: Source Sans 3
Author: Paul D. Hunt

Sans Serif humanist-sans by Paul D. Hunt #43 on Google Fonts

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Size

Weight

About Source Sans 3

Source Sans was Adobe's first open-source typeface, designed by Paul D. Hunt as a clean, readable sans-serif for user interfaces, and Source Sans 3 represents its most refined iteration as a fully variable font spanning the weight axis. The humanist construction — drawn from the proportions of Robert Slimbach's calligraphic lettering — lends warmth to what could otherwise be a purely neutral grotesque. Broad script support covering Cyrillic, Greek, and Vietnamese makes it a dependable choice for multilingual documentation and cross-platform UI design.

Design Analysis

Source Sans 3 is Adobe's first open-source typeface, built on rationalist sans-serif principles with humanist touches. Its letterforms feature a moderate x-height, open apertures, and subtle ink traps that enhance rendering at small sizes on screen. The design balances neutrality with enough character to avoid the clinical feel of pure grotesques.

Recommended Use Cases

A strong default for developer documentation, technical writing, and open-source project UIs. Pairs naturally with Source Serif and Source Code Pro for a unified typographic ecosystem across body, display, and code.

Character Map

AaBbCcDdEeFfGgHhIiJjKkLlMm
NnOoPpQqRrSsTtUuVvWwXxYyZz
0123456789
!@#$%^&*()_+-=[]{}|;':",.<>?

Weight Waterfall (8)

200 ExtraLight

300 Light

400 Regular

500 Medium

600 SemiBold

700 Bold

800 ExtraBold

900 Black

How to Use

<link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Source+Sans+3:wght@200;300;500;600;700;800;900;400&display=swap" rel="stylesheet">

@import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Source+Sans+3:wght@200;300;500;600;700;800;900;400&display=swap');

font-family: 'Source Sans 3', sans-serif;

brew install --cask font-source-sans-3

Details

Category: Sans Serif
Style: humanist-sans
Weights: 8
Italic: ✓
Korean: ✗
Designer: Paul D. Hunt
License: OFL
Version
Popularity: #43
Downloads: 192

License Usage

Web use	Allowed
Print	Allowed
Video / Broadcast	Allowed
Packaging	Allowed
App embedding	Allowed
Brand / Logo	Allowed
Modification	Allowed

OFL — Free for personal & commercial use

Language Support

cyrillic cyrillic-ext greek greek-ext latin latin-ext vietnamese

Best For

body_text web_apps ui_elements

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Typography Concepts

Stem
The main vertical stroke of a letter, such as the upright in 'l', 'b', 'd'. The heaviest stroke in most typeface designs.
Typeface
The overall design of a set of characters — the artistic creation. Often confused with 'font', which is a specific size/weight/style of a typeface.
Humanist Sans
Sans-serif typefaces inspired by Renaissance handwriting with organic stroke variation. Warmer and more readable than geometric styles.
Kerning
The adjustment of space between individual letter pairs to achieve visually consistent spacing.
Tracking
The uniform adjustment of spacing across an entire range of characters, unlike kerning which targets specific pairs.
Font Weight
The thickness of character strokes, typically ranging from 100 (Thin) to 900 (Black). Regular is 400, Bold is 700.