Johnston vs Lato

Lato is a popular open-source alternative to Johnston's humanist design. At 82% similarity, Lato delivers a friendly, professional aesthetic. Compare which works better for transit and signage projects.

82% Similarity

Design DNA

Design overlap:0%

Johnston

Structural
Humanist
Purpose
SignageBranding

Lato

Visual
WarmMinimal

Visual Comparison

Johnston

Premium

Lato

Free

Aa Bb Cc 123

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
0123456789 !@#$%^&*()

Feature Comparison

Feature Johnston Lato
Type Premium Free
Classification sans-serif sans-serif
Variable Font No No
Weights Multiple 100, 300, 400, 700, 900
Italics Yes Yes
License Commercial License Required OFL-1.1
Language Support latin, latin-extended latin, latin-extended
Source ITC Google Fonts

Best Use Cases

Johnston Lato
Signage

Typography for wayfinding, environmental graphics, and public signage. Signage f...

Johnston Lato
Branding

Fonts that establish strong brand identity with distinctive character and versat...

Johnston Lato
Wayfinding

Typography for navigation systems, directional signage, and environmental graphi...

Johnston Lato
Corporate

Typography for established businesses, enterprise software, and professional ser...

Johnston Lato
Editorial

Typography suited for magazines, newspapers, and long-form content. Editorial fo...

Johnston Lato
Mobile Apps

Fonts optimized for mobile interfaces with excellent small-size legibility, clea...

Johnston Lato
Healthcare

Typography for medical, wellness, and healthcare applications. Healthcare fonts ...

Johnston Lato
E-commerce

Typography optimized for online retail, marketplaces, and shopping experiences. ...

Johnston Lato
Startup

Typography for startups, tech companies, and venture-backed businesses. Startup ...

Johnston Lato

Performance Comparison

Metric Johnston Lato
Score N/A 60/100
File Size N/A 85.9 KB
Weights N/A 5
Italics N/A Yes
Variable Font N/A No
Language Groups N/A 2
CDN Delivery N/A Yes
x-Height Ratio N/A 0.506
Cap Height Ratio N/A 0.717

Which Should You Choose?

Consider: Johnston

  • Delivers a friendly, professional, clean aesthetic
  • Popular in education-academia and healthcare-medical design
  • Versatile enough to replace 13+ premium fonts
  • Free under OFL-1.1 license
View Johnston →

Recommended: Lato

  • Original design with refined typographic details
  • Designed specifically for transit and signage
  • Commercial license with professional support
View Lato →

Free Alternatives to Consider

Other free alternatives to Johnston


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