How Besans Became My Go-To Display Font for Web Projects
I recently started designing a landing page for a small creative studio that needed a modern, approachable brand voice. The client wanted something bold but not overwhelming—something that could anchor the design without shouting. I opened up the browser, dropped in Besans as the hero headline font, and immediately felt the layout click into place.
What Is Besans and What Makes It Stand Out?
Besans is a clean, modern display font with a playful yet professional tone. Its letterforms are rounded and open, giving it a friendly, accessible feel. It's not overly stylized like many decorative fonts, but it still carries enough character to stand out in a layout. It fits right at home in the Display category, making it ideal for web headers, callouts, and branding elements.
From a UI design perspective, Besans strikes a nice balance between personality and usability. It’s not a font you’d use for long-form body copy, but it shines when used for headlines, buttons, or logo text. Its simplicity helps maintain visual clarity, especially on smaller screens where overly stylized fonts can become hard to read.
Testing Besans in Real Layouts
On that landing page, I used Besans in the hero section over a soft gradient background. The goal was to make the headline feel inviting but polished. I tried a few other display fonts first—some with sharper edges, others with more contrast—but Besans was the one that felt right. It didn’t fight with the background, and the rounded shapes softened the overall design, making it more approachable.
I also tested it in a mobile preview. On smaller screens, Besans held up well. At larger sizes, it’s expressive and readable. Even at smaller sizes—like in a call-to-action button—it retained its clarity. I made sure to pair it with a simple sans serif like Open Sans for body text, which created a nice visual contrast and helped with readability.
Where Besans Works Best
Here are a few use cases where Besans really shines:
- Hero Titles: Perfect for landing pages or portfolio sites where you want a strong visual anchor.
- Call-to-Action Buttons: Rounded, friendly, and readable—even at smaller sizes.
- Logo Text: Especially for brands that want to feel modern and accessible.
- Section Headings: Helps break up content with a clean, energetic tone.
- Social Media Graphics: Works well in digital ads and promotional banners.
For example, I used Besans on a recent product landing page for a digital course. The headline was set in Besans with a soft drop shadow, and it looked great on both desktop and mobile. The font gave the page a sense of warmth and approachability, which aligned perfectly with the course’s branding around creativity and self-expression.
Readability and Responsiveness
One thing I always test when choosing a font is how it behaves across devices. Besans handled mobile layouts surprisingly well. I used it for a section heading on a blog redesign project, and even on a 375px screen width, the letters remained legible and clear. I made sure to adjust the line height slightly for tighter spacing on mobile, which helped maintain readability without crowding the text.
Another thing to consider is contrast. Besans works best on light backgrounds, but I’ve also used it successfully over soft dark overlays. Just make sure there's enough contrast between the text and background—especially when placing it over images or gradients.
Font Pairing for Better Web Design
Since Besans is a display font, I usually pair it with a more neutral typeface for body text. For example, pairing it with a clean sans serif like Montserrat or Lato creates a nice balance between personality and readability. On a recent coaching website project, I used Besans for the hero headline and Montserrat for subheadings and buttons. The result was a clean, modern layout that felt cohesive and professional.
If you're going for a more editorial feel, you can even pair Besans with a serif font like Playfair Display for a contrast in tone. It works especially well for blog headers or service landing pages where you want to create a visual hierarchy that guides the user’s eye through the page.
Technical Considerations Before Using Besans
Before using any font in a live project, it’s important to check a few technical aspects:
- Webfont Availability: Make sure Besans is available through a reliable font service like Google Fonts or Adobe Fonts.
- File Formats: Check that it includes WOFF2 and WOFF for optimal performance and compatibility.
- Font Weights: See if it includes multiple weights (light, regular, bold) for different use cases.
- Language Support: If your site supports multiple languages, verify that Besans includes the necessary character sets.
- Licensing: Always double-check the licensing terms—especially for commercial use or client projects.
These small checks can save you a lot of trouble later, especially when optimizing for performance and accessibility.
Designing with Intention
Using Besans has become part of my go-to toolkit for digital brand projects. It’s versatile enough to work across a range of industries—whether it’s a boutique online store, a creative portfolio, or a campaign landing page. The key is to use it intentionally, knowing where it adds value and where a more neutral font might be better.
I especially appreciate how Besans helps build a more polished brand experience. It’s not just about aesthetics—it’s about creating a consistent visual language that users can connect with. Whether it’s guiding someone through a product page or adding warmth to a coaching website, Besans helps bring the design to life in a way that feels both modern and human.
