Clarendon

Clarendon is a slab serif typeface originally designed by Robert Besley in 1845. It was the very first typeface to be patented, although the patent expired after three years so it was quickly copied by other foundries. Clarendon was commonly used on wanted posters of the American Old West so it can have somewhat of a classic, “old-timey” feel to it. The typeface is available in five weights—light, roman, heavy, bold and black—as well as condensed styles.

Get Clarendon →

Adobe Fonts includes this family for both desktop and web use (with unlimited pageviews). Get the entire Adobe Fonts collection with all Creative Cloud plans.

Clarendon Specimen

Clarendon Type Specimen

Similar Fonts

Closest Match on Adobe Fonts (Typekit)*

Closest Free Alternative on Google Fonts

Suggested Font Pairing

Clarendon Font Pairings

Smithfield Cattle Co.
Apr 1, 2023
Fonts — Manuka, Clarendon, Inter
Literary Hub
Oct 20, 2015
Fonts — Futura, Caslon, Clarendon, Lato
Global Wave Conference
Aug 22, 2015
Fonts — Veneer, Clarendon
Audience Ops
May 17, 2015
Fonts — Clarendon, Adelle Sans, DIN
Future Father
Oct 27, 2014
Fonts — Clarendon, Futura, Bookman
Shortstop
Sep 15, 2014
Fonts — Futura, Clarendon
Grinders Coffee
Jun 8, 2014
Cognition
Mar 16, 2014
Riley Cran
Jan 8, 2014
Fonts — Clarendon, Freight Sans, Adelle
Hello Monday
Dec 30, 2013
Fonts — Clarendon, Theinhardt


Flawless Typography Checklist

A typography master course that doubles as an interactive visual reference that helps you achieve flawless type on every design project


Flawless Typography Checklist



Email 01


Email 03


Email 04




*If you sign up for a Creative Cloud plan to access Adobe Fonts, I will receive a small commission. If you find Typewolf useful, then please use these links as a way to show your support.