Cormorant Garamond

Replaces: Garamond (85%) | OFL-1.1 | Updated: Feb 2026

About Cormorant Garamond

Classification
serif
Weights
300, 400, 500, 600, 700
Features
Italics
SIL Open Font License 1.1

Free to use, modify, and distribute. Can be used commercially without attribution.

What's allowed?
  • Client work
  • SaaS / Web apps
  • YouTube / Video
  • Sell products
  • Print materials

Note: Derivative fonts must use the same license.

Full license guide →
Get Cormorant Garamond Free ↗

Cormorant Garamond is a display typeface designed by Christian Thalmann that draws inspiration from Claude Garamont's 16th-century designs while adding contemporary flair. With higher contrast and more dramatic proportions than traditional Garamond revivals, it excels in headlines and large-format applications.

History and Design

Christian Thalmann designed Cormorant as a project on Kickstarter, describing it as "a display type family in the Garamond tradition." Rather than creating a faithful historical revival, Thalmann interpreted the Garamond aesthetic with increased contrast and refined details suited to modern display use.

The Cormorant family includes several variants: Garamond, Infant (with simpler letterforms), Upright (italicized forms as the regular style), and SC (small caps). This flexibility makes it adaptable to diverse design needs.

Why Cormorant Garamond Excels

Cormorant Garamond's higher contrast creates visual drama that works beautifully at large sizes. The refined details and elegant proportions convey sophistication while maintaining readability. It bridges the gap between classical Garamond and contemporary display typography.

Technical Features

  • Five weights: Light through bold with matching italics
  • Multiple family variants: Garamond, Infant, Upright, SC
  • Extensive character set: Latin Extended, Cyrillic, Vietnamese
  • OpenType features: Ligatures, stylistic alternates, small caps
  • Display optimized: High contrast for headlines and large text

Best Use Cases

Cormorant Garamond excels in:

  • Display typography: Headlines, titles, and pull quotes
  • Editorial design: Magazine features and article headers
  • Branding: Elegant logotypes and visual identities
  • Wedding and event stationery: Romantic, refined aesthetic

Usage Tips

Reserve Cormorant Garamond for display sizes (18pt and above) where its high contrast shines. For body text, pair it with EB Garamond or another text-optimized serif. The light weight creates especially striking headlines. Use the Infant variant for a slightly softer, more approachable feel in children's content or friendly branding.

Is Cormorant Garamond on Google Fonts?

Yes, Cormorant Garamond is available for free on Google Fonts. Get Cormorant Garamond on Google Fonts ↗

Alternative For (19)

Cormorant Garamond is a free alternative to the following premium fonts:

#1 Alverata 70%
[typetogether] · serif

High-contrast display Garamond with comparable elegance

View all alternatives
#2 Appeal 72%
[WeType] · serif

High-contrast display Garamond with dramatic presence and variable support

View all alternatives
#3 Bembo 82%
[Monotype] · serif

Comparable scholarly character

View all alternatives
#4 Canela 75%
[Commercial Type] · serif

Comparable elegant serif

View all alternatives
#5 Cardo 82%
[David Perry] · serif

Comparable scholarly character

View all alternatives
#6 Edgar 71%
[Frere-Jones Type] · serif

High-contrast display Garamond with dramatic presence and variable support

View all alternatives
[GarageFonts] · serif

Similar elegant serif display

View all alternatives
#8 Garamond 85%
[Adobe] · serif

More decorative interpretation with higher contrast for display use

View all alternatives
#9 GT Canon 72%
[Grilli Type] · serif

High-contrast display Garamond with dramatic presence and variable support

View all alternatives
#10 Heldane 78%
[Klim Type Foundry] · serif

Comparable editorial serif

View all alternatives
#11 Jenson 82%
[Adobe] · serif

Comparable elegant classic serif

View all alternatives
#12 Miller 80%
[Font Bureau] · serif

Comparable display serif character

View all alternatives
#13 Nocturno 82%
[Typotheque] · serif

Comparable elegant serif

View all alternatives
#14 Ogg 75%
[Sharp Type] · serif

Comparable editorial serif

View all alternatives
#15 Quincy CF 75%
[Connary Fagen] · serif

Comparable vintage serif

View all alternatives
#16 Romana 78%
[Bitstream] · serif

Comparable elegant serif

View all alternatives
#17 Sabon 85%
[Linotype] · serif

Similar Garamond-style proportions

View all alternatives
#18 Signifier 72%
[klim-type-foundry] · serif

Shared Garamond heritage with display potential

View all alternatives
#19 Voyage 70%
[Pangram Pangram] · serif

Comparable luxury character

View all alternatives

Compare Cormorant Garamond

See how Cormorant Garamond compares to other fonts side by side.

Font Pairings

Fonts that pair well with Cormorant Garamond based on contrast and complementary design characteristics.

Alex Brush + Cormorant Garamond
80/100
display + serif
Cormorant Garamond + Great Vibes
80/100
serif + display
Cormorant Garamond + Josefin Sans
80/100
serif + display
Cormorant Garamond + Sacramento
80/100
serif + display
Education
Cormorant Garamond + Jost
78/100
serif + sans-serif

Performance

Key metrics for evaluating Cormorant Garamond in production.

Score
45 /100 Average
File Size
324.7 KB Heavy
Weights
5 static + Italics
Languages
5 groups CDN delivery

Font Metrics

x-Height Ratio
0.386
Cap Height Ratio
0.625
Ascender
924
Descender
-287

Fallback CSS Overrides

Apply these overrides to Georgia to minimize layout shift when loading Cormorant Garamond.

@font-face {
  font-family: 'Cormorant Garamond Fallback';
  src: local('Georgia');
  ascent-override: 92.4%;
  descent-override: 28.7%;
  line-gap-override: 0%;
  size-adjust: 80.18%;
}
woff2 Measured via Google Fonts API Metrics extracted from WOFF2

How to Use Cormorant Garamond

Copy these code snippets to quickly add Cormorant Garamond to your project.

Quick Start

CSS code for Cormorant Garamond

@import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Cormorant+Garamond:wght@300;400;500;600;700&display=swap');