Display · Astigmatic
Bigelow Rules
Find the font. Find its kind.
CSSfont-family: 'Bigelow Rules', sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 1.1;
Bigelow Rules is a free display font by Astigmatic, on Google Fonts since 2012. Among the 554 display faces on FontKind, Bigelow Rules has an average x-height, is narrower than 99% and, at its regular weight, is lighter than 85%. Its thickest strokes are 3.1 times its thinnest: high stroke contrast.
Compare with Aujournuit Condensed →Compare with another font
01 / Light table
Laid on top of Aujournuit Condensed
Bigelow Rules on one light table with its two closest fonts, Aujournuit Condensed (87 out of 100) and Aujournuit Densed (79). Aujournuit Condensed is 28% wider, with more stroke contrast and an x-height 6% shorter; Aujournuit Densed is 49% wider, with more stroke contrast and an x-height 6% shorter.
Bigelow Rules and Aujournuit Condensed laid on top of each other.
Ink shared with Bigelow RulesAujournuit Condensed…
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 Bigelow Rules 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
Bigelow Rules 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 Bigelow Rules, and can you use it?
- Designer
- Astigmatic
- Kind
- Display
- Styles
- 1 weight (400)
- On Google Fonts since
- 2012
- 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 “Bigelow Rules”: the licence reserves the name.
- Sharing the files
- Yes, but not for sale. With the licence.
Bigelow Rules 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 Bigelow Rules, or upload it with Canva Pro. Canva’s help
- Cricut
- Once installed. Design Space lists Bigelow Rules under System. Fonts for Cricut →
From each app’s own font list or help pages, read on 28 September 2026.
05 / Measurements
Bigelow Rules, measured
Taken from the font file's own outlines, regular style
- x-height
- 53.6% of the emlowercase x
- Cap height
- 72.4% of the emcapitals
- x / cap
- 0.74lowercase against capitals
- Width
- 26.7% of the emaverage lowercase
- Ink
- 33%letter box filled
- Contrast
- 3.12 : 1high stroke contrast
Where it stands among display faces
Ranked against all 554 display faces on FontKind
x-heightNear the middle of display faces
WidthNarrower than 99% of display faces
InkLighter than 85% of display faces
ContrastMore contrast than 90% of display faces
06 / Similar fonts
Fonts similar to Bigelow Rules
Matched letter by letter · its own family apart
- Aujournuit Condensed8728% wider · more stroke contrast · x-height 6% shorter
- Aujournuit Densed7949% wider · more stroke contrast · x-height 6% shorter
- Smythe7333% wider · 35% heavier · less stroke contrast
- Picaflor6681% wider · x-height 31% taller · more stroke contrast
- Aujournuit6571% wider · more stroke contrast · 17% lighter
- Imbue6124% wider · 42% heavier · less stroke contrast
All 100 fonts similar to Bigelow Rules →Compare side by side →Get Bigelow Rules on Google Fonts
07 / Swap
Swap Bigelow Rules without a jump
Running text within 3% of the width, x-height within 5%
None of the fonts that look most like Bigelow Rules sets text to its width and x-height: a swap would move lines.
Fallback while it loads
Until Bigelow Rules loads, this sets Arial in its place at 56.6% of its size, so running text keeps Bigelow Rules’s width and lines keep their height: nothing moves when it arrives.
@font-face {
font-family: 'Bigelow Rules Fallback';
src: local('Arial');
size-adjust: 56.62%;
ascent-override: 160.15%;
descent-override: 44.51%;
line-gap-override: 0.00%;
}
font-family: 'Bigelow Rules', 'Bigelow Rules Fallback', sans-serif;08 / Questions
Questions about Bigelow Rules
Answered from its licence, Google Fonts and each app’s own font list
Is Bigelow Rules free for commercial use?
Yes. Bigelow Rules 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 “Bigelow Rules”.
How do I download and install Bigelow Rules?
FontKind doesn’t host Bigelow Rules’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 Bigelow Rules in Microsoft Word?
Not until you install it: Bigelow Rules 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 Bigelow Rules in Google Docs?
Most likely. Search for Bigelow Rules under More fonts in the font menu of Docs; added there, it is in Sheets and Slides too.
Is Bigelow Rules in Figma?
Yes: Bigelow Rules is in Figma’s font menu, in the browser and the desktop app, with nothing to install.
How many weights does Bigelow Rules have?
Bigelow Rules 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 Bigelow Rules?
Bigelow Rules was designed by Astigmatic. It has been on Google Fonts since November 2012. Astigmatic also made Aclonica, Parisienne, Righteous and 54 more on FontKind.
What fonts are similar to Bigelow Rules?
The closest in our letter-by-letter match are Aujournuit Condensed (87), Aujournuit Densed (79) and Smythe (73), out of 100. Next to Bigelow Rules, Aujournuit Condensed is 28% wider, with more stroke contrast and an x-height 6% shorter. See all 100 fonts like Bigelow Rules.