The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
Georgia vs Clarendon
A screen-era transitional serif against the original bracketed slab. Georgia was drawn by Matthew Carter for Microsoft in 1993 and released in 1996 to stay legible at small sizes on low-resolution monitors, while Clarendon dates to 1845 at Robert Besley's Fann Street Foundry in London and was built for emphasis and display work. Both share a large x-height and low stroke contrast, but they belong to different centuries and different jobs.
Georgia is a commercial font, so it is shown here in Gelasio, its closest free alternative. All free alternatives to Georgia → Clarendon is a commercial font, so it is shown here in Roboto Slab, its closest free alternative. All free alternatives to Clarendon →
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
- Georgia is a transitional serif based on 19th-century Scotch Roman types, with a vertical stress, ball terminals, and old-style figures that sit at lowercase height in running text.
- Clarendon is a slab serif with heavy bracketed serifs that flare into the stems, short ascenders and descenders, and a sturdiness that made it the stock face of posters and signage.
- Georgia was engineered for screens, with thickened thin strokes and hinting by Thomas Rickner so it holds up at body sizes on low-resolution displays.
- Clarendon was conceived as a bold companion for emphasis within text, and the 1953 Hermann Eidenbenz revival for Haas fixed its modern form as a wide, bold display face.
- Both are commercial: Georgia ships pre-installed with Windows and macOS, while the Linotype, Monotype, Bitstream, and URW Clarendons each need a paid license, so licensing cost is a real factor if you want Clarendon on the web.
Georgia
Reach for Georgia for long-form reading on screen, article bodies, and anywhere you need a dependable serif that is already installed on nearly every machine.
Clarendon
Reach for Clarendon for headlines, posters, packaging, and bold emphasis where a sturdy, vintage slab voice matters more than small-size body text.