don՚t play well off of each other and create a kind of typographic mud if
careful attention is not paid.
In the first example on the left side we have a heading set in Clarendon
Bold, which is a slab serif. The body copy on the left is Officina Serif which
is also a slab serif. Slab serif typefaces are known for their distinct
personality, and they like to dominate any area in a design they are used in.
Putting two slab serifs together can create a needless and unsightly tension.
Now notice the example on the right side. The Clarendon Bold header is
paired with the much-more neutral New Baskerville. New Baskerville is a
versatile transitional serif typeface with wide glyphs that goes nicely with
the heavy-set Clarendon. At the same time, it backs down and lets
Clarendon have all the personality it wants. This combination works quite
nicely as a result.