Typefaces form the backbone of an inclusive brand experience. They can welcome, or they can exclude. They can slow people down, or help them feel seen.
That’s the philosophy behind Inclusive Sans 2.0, designer Olivia King’s latest release: an open-source sans serif typeface built with accessibility, readability, and inclusivity in mind. With five weights, a variable font option, and thoughtful design choices, this update expands the typeface’s versatility and positions it as a powerful tool for designers.
Rooted in the neo-grotesque tradition but updated for digital placements, Inclusive Sans 2.0 is a quiet act of rebellion against exclusion, and a small but mighty push toward a more thoughtful future of design.
Neo-Grotesque, but make it friendly
Inclusive Sans 2.0 draws inspiration from the neutral design of modern neo-grotesques like Inter, IBM Plex Sans, and Google’s Roboto. These typefaces are known for their restraint, but Inclusive Sans injects just enough warmth to avoid the cold, corporate feel that can sometimes creeps in.
Here’s what makes this typeface stand out:
- Balanced, slightly condensed proportions that make better use of space, especially useful in UI and text-heavy contexts.
- Minimal stroke contrast for a uniform appearance, with just enough variation to enhance legibility.
- Simplified, neutral shapes with subtle personality (like a smile without the grin).
- It’s optimised for screens.
What makes a typeface accessible?
Not all typefaces have been designed with accessibility in mind. Put simply, an accessible font is one that doesn’t ‘get in the way’ or slow people down. Whether a person lives with vision loss, blindness, dyslexia, or simply reads in less-than-ideal lighting on a cracked screen, it works.
An accessible typeface helps more people read your content and understand your message, which is, obviously, an imperative part of marketing.
Inclusive Sans 2.0 is a typeface that nails the fundamental of accessibility.
It features clear letterforms and distinct character shapes, with unique glyphs for commonly confused characters like ‘I’, ‘l’, and ‘1’, as well as easily distinguishable forms for ‘O’ and ‘0’. It also avoids mirrored letterforms like ‘b’, ‘d’, ‘p’, and ‘q’, which can be particularly difficult for readers with dyslexia.
The typeface uses open counters and carefully considered spacing to keep text readable. Letters like ‘c’, ‘e’, and ‘a’ have wide apertures, and the tracking is finely tuned to prevent characters from merging or crowding, which is especially helpful in dense blocks of text.
A tall x-height makes it easier to read at smaller sizes or on screens, and the stroke contrast is balanced just enough to aid legibility without sacrificing simplicity.
It also comes in multiple weights and includes a variable font option, so people can customise the level of contrast to suit their needs. Importantly, it avoids ultra-thin styles that can disappear on low-resolution displays.
Finally, it offers broad language and symbol support, including characters for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages.
How to pair Inclusive Sans 2.0
Inclusive Sans 2.0 is a super flexible typeface, but how you pair it can change your brand’s entire personality. Here’s how to match it:
Pair it with a serif for a sophisticated vibe
Try pairing it with Garamond, GT Super, Editorial New — this is best for law firms, universities, financial institutions, non-profits.
Pair it with a humanist sans serif for a warm vibe
Try pairing it with Freight Sans, Gill Sans, P22 Underground — this is best for startups, wellness brands, UX-led companies.
Pair it with a geometric sans serif for a minimal vibe
Try pairing it with Neuzeit, Sofia, Harmonica Sans — this is best for tech companies, architecture studios, minimal fashion brands.
Pair it with a display or handwritten typeface for a playful vibe
Try pairing it with a display typeface that complements (rather than competes with) Inclusive Sans’ clean neutrality — this is best for lifestyle brands, creative agencies, funky fashion labels.
Should your brand use Inclusive Sans 2.0?
Short answer: yes. Especially now.
When exclusion is on the rise — in politics, in platforms, in algorithms — tiny acts of inclusivity matter. Choosing a typeface designed with accessibility in mind might not feel revolutionary, but it signals that your brand is paying attention. That you care about the people who read your words, and not just the way those words look.
Inclusive Sans 2.0 is thoughtful, modern, and quietly radical.
And that’s the kind of typeface we can get behind.
You can get Inclusive Sans 2.0 via Olivia King’s website. Or, use it in your Google Workspace applications documents, slides, and sheets via Google Fonts.
