Are Google's Custom Typefaces Here to Stay?
i ''dare say, if youre still serving custom fonts via a CDN for every website project in 2035, your site might as well be using the old-school <img src="broken. gif"
> placeholder.Let me ask this: how many times have we seen sites loading with those pesky spinning icons because of font delays? Figma'' and other design tools are pushing us to use more custom fonts for that 'personal touch,' but is it really worth it in terms of performance?
Think about the last time you visited a website. Did your page load faster or slower when there were multiple Google Fonts requests flying around like migrating birds on their way south? ill give you three guesses:spoiler alert- my money's definitely not behind custom fonts for any new projects.
heres why:
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Performance Hit : Every font request adds latency. With
LCP and other speed metrics being a big deal, this is no joke.
@font-face {src: url('}-
Environmental Impact : Serving custom fonts from a CDN means more data is being transferred, which isnt great for the planet.
>Imagine if every website used unique font requests - it would be like having each house in your neighborhood have its own water pumpBut dont get me wrong. There are times when you just cant beat custom fonts:
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Custom Branding : If a site is heavily branded, and those specific characters define the brand experience.
==Conclusion==. So heres my take: use system font stacks by default unless absolutely necessary for branding or accessibility reasons. this isnt just about speed; its also an ethical choice. ⚡ - If you disagree, share your thoughts! Let the discussion begin