Sans serif · Magnus Gaarde
Basic
Find the font. Find its kind.
CSSfont-family: 'Basic', sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 1.1;
Basic is a free sans serif by Magnus Gaarde, on Google Fonts since 2011. Among the 697 sans serifs on FontKind, Basic has an x-height shorter than 69%, is narrower than 67% and, at its regular weight, is darker than 81%. Its thickest strokes are 1.4 times its thinnest: moderate stroke contrast.
01 / Light table
Laid on top of Rambla
Basic on one light table with its two closest fonts, Rambla (79 out of 100) and Amaranth (79). Rambla is 10% lighter and 3% narrower; Amaranth is 10% heavier.
Basic and Rambla laid on top of each other.
Ink shared with BasicRambla…
Most different letters first; the figure is the share of ink the fonts have in common. Where the fonts agree the letters cancel to black: every white sliver is a real difference.
02 / Letters
The Basic alphabet
Capitals, lowercase, figures and signs · weight 400
Tap the letters you like, here and in other fonts, to find the fonts whose letters look most like them.
- &
- ?
- !
- @
- %
- (
- )
03 / Sizes
Basic at every size
1 weight (400) · six sizes, in your words
- 12 px
- 16 px
- 24 px
- 36 px
- 48 px
- 72 px
04 / Facts
Who made Basic, and can you use it?
- Designer
- Magnus Gaarde
- Kind
- Sans serif
- Styles
- 1 weight (400)
- On Google Fonts since
- 2011
- Character sets
- latin, latin-ext
- Licence
- SIL Open Font License 1.1
Can I use it?
- Commercial use
- Yes.
- Logos
- Yes.
- Websites and apps
- Yes. Self-hosted or loaded from Google Fonts.
- PDFs and documents
- Yes.
- Changes
- Yes, under another name. Not as “Basic”: the licence reserves the name.
- Sharing the files
- Yes, but not for sale. With the licence.
Basic is under the SIL Open Font License 1.1. This is a plain summary, not legal advice: the licence itself decides.
Already in your apps?
- Google Docs
- Most likely. Under More fonts, in Sheets and Slides too. Google’s guide
- Word, PowerPoint
- No. Install it from Google Fonts first. Microsoft’s list
- Figma
- Yes. Built in, nothing to install. Figma’s help
- Canva
- Not verified. Search its font menu for Basic, or upload it with Canva Pro. Canva’s help
- Cricut
- Once installed. Design Space lists Basic under System. Fonts for Cricut →
From each app’s own font list or help pages, read on 28 September 2026.
05 / Measurements
Basic, measured
Taken from the font file's own outlines, regular style
- x-height
- 49.9% of the emlowercase x
- Cap height
- 66.3% of the emcapitals
- x / cap
- 0.75lowercase against capitals
- Width
- 47.9% of the emaverage lowercase
- Ink
- 50%letter box filled
- Contrast
- 1.38 : 1moderate stroke contrast
Where it stands among sans serifs
Ranked against all 697 sans serifs on FontKind
x-heightSmaller than 69% of sans serifs
WidthNarrower than 67% of sans serifs
InkDarker than 81% of sans serifs
ContrastMore contrast than 86% of sans serifs
06 / Similar fonts
Fonts similar to Basic
Matched letter by letter · its own family apart
- Rambla7910% lighter · 3% narrower
- Amaranth7910% heavier
- Fira Sans7615% lighter · 6% wider · x-height 6% taller
- Inria Sans7517% lighter · less stroke contrast
- UNAL Ancizar Sans75x-height 8% shorter · 7% narrower · 11% lighter
- Voces7410% wider · 14% lighter · x-height 3% taller
All 100 fonts similar to Basic →Compare side by side →Get Basic on Google Fonts
07 / Swap
Swap Basic without a jump
Running text within 3% of the width, x-height within 5%
- Amaranth79text 0.9% narrower · same x-height
- Inria Sans75text 0.6% narrower · x-height 0.8% shorter
- Mako71same text width · same x-height
- Arya66text 2.7% narrower · x-height 3.8% shorter
- Signika65text 2.1% narrower · x-height 0.6% taller
- Scada65text 1.3% wider · same x-height
Fallback while it loads
Until Basic loads, this sets Arial in its place at 98.4% of its size, so running text keeps Basic’s width and lines keep their height: nothing moves when it arrives.
@font-face {
font-family: 'Basic Fallback';
src: local('Arial');
size-adjust: 98.41%;
ascent-override: 102.51%;
descent-override: 25.35%;
line-gap-override: 0.00%;
}
font-family: 'Basic', 'Basic Fallback', sans-serif;08 / Pairs
Used together with Basic
Of the 1,130 home pages that load Basic, the share that load each font too, and how that compares with chance.
Same page, not which sets the headings · HTTP Archive , 1 September 2026
- Roboto17%194 sites · 0.8× chance
- Open Sans16%185 sites · 0.9× chance
- Poppins8.7%98 sites · 0.8× chance
- Montserrat8.1%91 sites · 0.6× chance
- Lato6.7%76 sites · 0.8× chance
- Inter5%57 sites · 0.5× chance
09 / Questions
Questions about Basic
Answered from its licence, Google Fonts and each app’s own font list
Is Basic free for commercial use?
Yes. Basic is under the SIL Open Font License 1.1 , which allows commercial use at any scale, logos, websites, apps and PDFs included; a changed version may not be called “Basic”.
How do I download and install Basic?
FontKind doesn’t host Basic’s files: it comes free from Google Fonts . On its page there, choose Get font, then Download all, and unzip the file. It holds a single font file. On Windows or a Mac, double-click each font file and choose Install, then restart any app that was open, Word included.
Is Basic in Microsoft Word?
Not until you install it: Basic isn’t one of Microsoft 365’s cloud fonts. Installed, it is in Word’s font menu and PowerPoint’s. For someone who hasn’t installed it, turn on Embed fonts in the file in Word’s save options: its licence allows that.
Is Basic in Google Docs?
Most likely. Search for Basic under More fonts in the font menu of Docs; added there, it is in Sheets and Slides too.
Is Basic in Figma?
Yes: Basic is in Figma’s font menu, in the browser and the desktop app, with nothing to install.
How many weights does Basic have?
Basic comes in one weight, Regular (400). Ask for bold and most apps thicken the letters themselves: a faux bold, not a drawn one.
Who designed Basic?
Basic was designed by Magnus Gaarde. It has been on Google Fonts since December 2011. Magnus Gaarde also made Habibi and Trykker.
What fonts are similar to Basic?
The closest in our letter-by-letter match are Rambla (79), Amaranth (79) and Fira Sans (76), out of 100. Next to Basic, Rambla is 10% lighter and 3% narrower. See all 100 fonts like Basic.