Exploring Serif Fonts for the Site

I’ve been bouncing between a few serif options for headings and long-form body text. STIX Two Text is the current front‑runner, but I wanted to sanity‑check it against a few others that kept calling my name. Below is a quick side‑by‑side using real copy from the site.

Montaga

Andrew excels at uniting value propositions with technology

Seasoned in software engineering, UX research, and product management I excel as a Product Generalist, Design Thinker, Code Ninja, and AI Hacker. My diverse expertise is well-suited for data-driven environments, blending tech innovation with strategic product development and user-centric design.

A collection of essays, notes, and half-baked explorations I'm always tending to.A collection of essays, notes, and half-baked explorations I'm always tending to.

As I continue to learn and explore new subjects, there are certain topics that I have not yet fully understood. In an effort to better grasp these concepts, I sometimes write my thoughts in loose, un-opinionated notes.As I continue to learn and explore new subjects, there are certain topics that I have not yet fully understood. In an effort to better grasp these concepts, I sometimes write my thoughts in loose, un-opinionated notes.

March 14, 2025 · Most of my talks focus on making complex topics simple. I've spoken at globally held events on a variety of topics, including JavaScript, blockchain, NFTs, AI, product and entrepreneurship.March 14, 2025 · Most of my talks focus on making complex topics simple. I've spoken at globally held events on a variety of topics, including JavaScript, blockchain, NFTs, AI, product and entrepreneurship.

const generalist = { design: true, code: true, product: true };const generalist = { design: true, code: true, product: true };

Montaga has serious presence. The curves and weight distribution feel stately, almost editorial like a magazine masthead that decided to stick around. The letterforms are warm enough to make headings feel deliberate without getting stiff. At large sizes, it’s a stunner; the strokes really breathe.

Paired with Noto Sans in muted gray for metadata, the contrast stays clean. Intel One Mono in accent green gives it a nice code‑meets‑editorial moment. The real test, though, is the big paragraph Montaga at display size in that header dark green is where it shines most.

The problem: Montaga only ships in a single weight and doesn’t have a true italic. The “italic” is just a slanted roman, which breaks the reading flow in body text. For a site that leans on emphasis and varied weights, that’s a dealbreaker. If Montaga had real italics and a glyph set closer to STIX, it probably would’ve won.

Sedan

Andrew excels at uniting value propositions with technology

A collection of essays, notes, and half-baked explorations I'm always tending to.A collection of essays, notes, and half-baked explorations I'm always tending to.

August 30, 2023 · The future of work isn't about what you know it's about how quickly you can learn, adapt, and create across disciplines.August 30, 2023 · The future of work isn't about what you know it's about how quickly you can learn, adapt, and create across disciplines.

function reverseString(str) { return [...str].reverse().join(''); }function reverseString(str) { return [...str].reverse().join(''); }

Sedan sits in the same personality family as Montaga refined strokes, beautiful curves, old‑style charm. The serifs have a slightly sharper bite, which gives it more definition at smaller sizes. At display size in italic, the curves really come alive Sedan’s italic is genuine and elegant, not a faux slant.

The accent green body text shows how Sedan handles color variation it stays legible and keeps its character. Noto Sans in gray sits underneath cleanly as supporting text. Intel One Mono in green works as a subtle code accent without clashing.

Like Montaga, Sedan only ships in a single regular weight no bold, no variable axis. It does have a proper italic, which already puts it ahead of Montaga for body text. Sedan has that classic book‑typography quality it wouldn’t look out of place on a printed page.

Newsreader

Andrew excels at uniting value propositions with technology

A collection of essays, notes, and half-baked explorations I'm always tending to.A collection of essays, notes, and half-baked explorations I'm always tending to.

This line is Newsreader at bold 700 notice how it still reads like a broadsheet, not a poster. The weight range gives you so much room to play.This line is Newsreader at bold 700 notice how it still reads like a broadsheet, not a poster. The weight range gives you so much room to play.

April 14, 2024 · As an entrepreneur, you need to owe people not in the financial sense, but in the sense of accountability.April 14, 2024 · As an entrepreneur, you need to owe people not in the financial sense, but in the sense of accountability.

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Newsreader has that paper‑like grotesque feel. It reads like a broadsheet slightly narrow letterforms, ink‑trap details, the kind of font that makes you sit up a little straighter. The variable weight axis (200–800) is fantastic for building hierarchy without switching families.

At display size in light weight 300, it’s ethereal the thin strokes fade just enough to feel like an imprint rather than a statement. Flip it to bold 700 and it turns into a confident editorial voice. That range in a single family is rare.

The italic is genuinely beautiful distinct from the roman, with proper cursive forms. The accent green italic feels like a handwritten margin note in a newspaper. It’s editorial in the truest sense. If the site were going for a newspaper/journal aesthetic, this would be the pick.

ET Book (the Tufte typeface)

Andrew excels at uniting value propositions with technology

A collection of essays, notes, and half-baked explorations I'm always tending to.A collection of essays, notes, and half-baked explorations I'm always tending to.

This line is ET Book at bold — notice the even thickening. The semi-bold (600) splits the difference with old-style figures: 0123456789.This line is ET Book at bold — notice the even thickening. The semi-bold (600) splits the difference with old-style figures: 0123456789.

February 10, 2026 · ET Book is a digital recreation of Monotype Bembo, the typeface Edward Tufte uses in his printed books. It was designed specifically for screen rendering of his digital publications.February 10, 2026 · ET Book is a digital recreation of Monotype Bembo, the typeface Edward Tufte uses in his printed books. It was designed specifically for screen rendering of his digital publications.

body { font-family: et-book, Palatino, "Book Antiqua", Georgia, serif; }body { font-family: et-book, Palatino, "Book Antiqua", Georgia, serif; }

Old-style figures variant for comparison: 0123456789 — notice how the numbers sit at different heights, blending into running text like lowercase letters rather than standing at attention.Old-style figures variant for comparison: 0123456789 — notice how the numbers sit at different heights, blending into running text like lowercase letters rather than standing at attention.

This is the Tufte font. ET Book is a digital recreation of Monotype Bembo, designed for Tufte’s books and released with Tufte CSS. The philosophy is visible in every decision: off-white backgrounds instead of stark white (#fffff8), wide margins, text that disappears into reading rather than demanding attention.

At body size, ET Book is supremely comfortable. The letterforms have that warm, slightly rough quality of metal type — not the machine precision of a font designed on a grid. The x-height is moderate, the counters are generous, the serifs have gentle bracketing. It feels like a book you’ve owned for years.

The display italic is genuinely special — it’s a separate cut (not a slanted roman), with calligraphic qualities that give pull quotes and emphasized text a handwritten warmth. At 2.5rem in that header green, it has the quiet confidence of a margin note in a well-loved copy of The Visual Display of Quantitative Information.

ET Book ships with bold and semi-bold, plus both line figures (for headings, tables) and old-style figures (for body text, dates). The old-style figures are a rare touch — 1789 sits naturally in a sentence instead of shouting. Tufte CSS registers them as a separate family (et-book-roman-old-style), which gives you fine control.

The consideration: ET Book was optimized for Tufte’s specific aesthetic — generous margins, wide measure, minimal UI chrome. It’s a reading font through and through. The weight range (regular/semi-bold/bold) is narrower than STIX or Newsreader. And because it’s self-hosted (no Google Fonts CDN), it adds ~170KB of font files to first load.

ET Bembo

Andrew excels at uniting value propositions with technology

A collection of essays, notes, and half-baked explorations I'm always tending to.A collection of essays, notes, and half-baked explorations I'm always tending to.

This line is ET Bembo at semi-bold 600 — it darkens gracefully without losing the Bembo character. Old-style figures in semi-bold: 0123456789.This line is ET Bembo at semi-bold 600 — it darkens gracefully without losing the Bembo character. Old-style figures in semi-bold: 0123456789.

February 10, 2026 · ET Bembo is a closely related cut to ET Book, with slightly different proportions. Where ET Book was optimized for screen, Bembo carries more of the original metal type's warmth.February 10, 2026 · ET Bembo is a closely related cut to ET Book, with slightly different proportions. Where ET Book was optimized for screen, Bembo carries more of the original metal type's warmth.

const tufte = { sidenotes: true, marginFigures: true, epigraphs: true };const tufte = { sidenotes: true, marginFigures: true, epigraphs: true };

Old-style figures variant: 0123456789 — Bembo's OSF cut has slightly more variation in figure heights compared to ET Book's, leaning closer to the original metal type proportions.Old-style figures variant: 0123456789 — Bembo's OSF cut has slightly more variation in figure heights compared to ET Book's, leaning closer to the original metal type proportions.

ET Bembo is ET Book’s sibling — same Bembo DNA, slightly different cut. The differences are subtle but visible when you stare at them side by side. Bembo’s letterforms are a touch wider, the strokes slightly thicker, the overall color on the page a bit darker. If ET Book is a font optimized for screen rendering, ET Bembo feels closer to what the metal type looked like on paper.

The display italic shares ET Book’s calligraphic quality but carries more weight — the swashes are a little fuller, the contrast between thick and thin strokes a bit more dramatic. At 2.5rem it’s arguably more beautiful than ET Book’s italic, though the difference is the kind of thing only a type nerd would notice.

ET Bembo ships with line figures (Roman LF) and old-style figures (Roman OSF) as separate cuts, plus a semi-bold with old-style figures. No bold weight — only semi-bold at 600. The file sizes are larger than ET Book (~230KB total vs ~170KB), which makes sense given the slightly more detailed letterforms.

The practical difference between ET Book and ET Bembo comes down to texture. ET Book is the screen-first choice — crisper, cleaner, slightly lighter. ET Bembo is the print-nostalgia choice — warmer, denser, closer to the experience of reading a physical Tufte book. For a site with a cream/off-white surface color like this one, ET Bembo’s warmth could work beautifully.

The consideration: No bold weight (only semi-bold), and larger file sizes. Like ET Book, it’s self-hosted. The warmth that makes it beautiful at body size can make headings feel slightly heavy at display sizes compared to ET Book’s lighter touch.

STIX Two Text (current pick)

Andrew excels at uniting value propositions with technology

A collection of essays, notes, and half-baked explorations I'm always tending to.A collection of essays, notes, and half-baked explorations I'm always tending to.

This line is STIX at bold 700 it thickens evenly without losing its academic composure. The serifs stay crisp, the counters stay open. It just works.This line is STIX at bold 700 it thickens evenly without losing its academic composure. The serifs stay crisp, the counters stay open. It just works.

September 18, 2025 · I woke up early this morning, with one thing on my mind. Growing up, I always loved technology, so I decided to pursue the path.September 18, 2025 · I woke up early this morning, with one thing on my mind. Growing up, I always loved technology, so I decided to pursue the path.

const results = await store.similaritySearch("AI agents", 5);const results = await store.similaritySearch("AI agents", 5);

STIX is the workhorse. What makes it win isn’t flair it’s flexibility. It reads well at every size: headings, body, captions, footnotes. The letterforms are neutral enough to disappear into long‑form reading (exactly what you want for essays and garden posts) but still have enough character to hold a heading. You can push it to display size in dark green italic and it keeps its composure. You can drop it to caption size in muted gray and it stays legible.

The italic is proper and elegant. At 2.5rem in header green, it has a quiet authority the others don’t quite match it isn’t trying to impress you, it’s just clear. The glyph coverage is massive mathematical symbols, ligatures, accented characters, everything. For a site that mixes technical content with personal essays, STIX doesn’t choke on edge cases.

The three‑font stack flows naturally: STIX heading → Noto Sans body in gray → Intel One Mono code in accent green. Each font knows its role and doesn’t compete.

Verdict

STIX Two Text stays as the site-wide default. It’s not the most exciting choice — Montaga has more personality, Sedan has more charm, Newsreader has more editorial punch — but STIX is the only one that works everywhere without compromise. For a site that’s part digital garden, part portfolio, part personal blog, flexibility wins over flair.

But the ET family is the most interesting discovery here. ET Book has a reading quality that none of the Google Fonts match — it genuinely feels like settling into a good book. The old-style figures are a rare refinement. ET Bembo pushes that warmth further, trading some screen crispness for print-era texture. Either one could work beautifully for long-form notes or garden posts where the reading experience matters most, loaded only where needed rather than site-wide.

Montaga would have been the pick if its italics and glyph set were as complete as STIX. That’s not a knock on Montaga — it’s a genuinely gorgeous typeface. It just isn’t built for the range this site demands.

Exploring Serif Fonts for the Site

Montaga

Sedan

Newsreader

ET Book (the Tufte typeface)

ET Bembo

STIX Two Text (current pick)

Verdict

7 References

Montaga on Google Fonts

Sedan on Google Fonts

Newsreader on Google Fonts

STIX Two Text on Google Fonts

Tufte CSS

ET Bembo source (GitHub)

What is a Variable font

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