Serif typeface

from Rosetta
designed by Anna Giedryś, David Březina

Variable Font

1 axis: Weight

10 Styles

5 Weights: Light to Bold
with matching italics

Additional Scripts

Gujarati

Best for

  • Headings (display text)
  • Long reading text (body text)
  • User Interfaces (functional text)

License

Free and Open Source

Specialty

A soft, classy and friendly free font, ideal for continuous reading. It will give your content a warm and soothing voice.

My Rasa Font Review

You are looking for a smooth, elegant, and free variable font for body text? The serif type family Rasa from Rosetta is made for continuous reading, while supporting over 92 languages in Latin and two in Gujarati script. But wait, isn’t this just a clone 😳 of the popular Google Font Merriweather? Let’s take a closer look.

An elegant text typeface It has something classic, warm and is made for long reading text. I recommend setting it roughly 20% larger than other serif typefaces, like Times. Additionally, you can reduce the line height quite a bit, due to the generous vertical metrics. ટાઇપફેસ રસ લેટિન અને ગુજરાતી લિપિને સપોર્ટ કરે છે Rasa supports Gujarati script and plenty of Accents and diacritics
Rasa combines both Latin and Gujarati script perfectly.

The Latin-only version of Rasa – available as Yrsa – is based on Merri­weather. This is neither bad nor forbidden. It’s reinterpreting the popular typeface, adding another script (Gujarati) and removing Cyrillic. When it comes to the impression the typefaces make, Merriweather comes across as quite sober, with a utilitarian drive. Rasa is not so far away from it, but it still feels warmer, friendlier and more contrasting, especially when comparing at the headings below.

Merriweather. How a bit of body text seems in direct comparison. Rasa is quite soft, a bit friendlier and less sober than Merriweather. It appears delicate and lively.  And of course, બધું સુમેળમાં કામ કરે છે it perfectly blends with Gujarati script.
Merriweather seems cleaner. The Gujarati text is shown in a sans-serif fallback font.
This is Rasa. How a bit of body text seems in direct comparison. Rasa is quite soft, a bit friendlier and less sober than Merriweather. It appears delicate and lively. And of course, બધું સુમેળમાં કામ કરે છે it perfectly blends with Gujarati script.
Rasa seems more contrasting, while the Gujarati text blend in nicely.

When looking at the details, the differences become more evident. Merriweather has short ascenders, little contrast and straight serifs. It also is tighter spaced. Rasa with its taller ascenders, bracketed serifs, and rounded heads has a warmer tone of voice.

Merriweather has shorter ascenders and seems is straighter.
Rasa has taller ascenders and seems softer.

But the biggest differences are the metrics. Rasa is more loosely spaced, and compared to most other fonts, you should set it quite large. There are also some additional things you should pay attention to, which I point out here for supporters on Patreon.

Never do this to Merriweather, but maybe to Times? Unlock on Patreon

If you want to learn more about the making of Yrsa and Rasa, and explore some other differences, check out this blog post by Rosetta.

Font Pairings for Rasa

Rasa lives between dynamic and rational form models. I’d call it a quite dynamic, linear serif typeface. So it pairs well with Garino or other rational typefaces for headings, but also with these suggestions:

Rasa (free)
Rasa (free)
  • Headings
  • Copy

Learn more about pairing typefaces using the Font Matrix.


What do you think about Rasa? Or do you like Merriweather better? Tell me in the comments!

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Edition #148, published

2 Comments

  1. While Rasa is very nicely done, nothing beats the stringent Merri-the-weather-lady 😉

    Have you had Akkurat on your show Oliver? Pardon, blog? 😀

    P.S. For travel with kids… Hm, hm, hmm… It should be something either very nature or Disneylandy. I believe that Ljubljana if it’s not too “boring” for you, and it’s close, is good for the start of a family journey!
    But, if you go fancy and attractive, than Spain. Anything will do there with plenty of 🌞

    1. I have not featured Akkurat … yet. Almost a classic by now. And it covers plenty of scripts!

      These are some good traveling tips with kids. And you nailed it. Either nature or entertainment. A city trip = trip to HELL 😂. Spain is a good idea! We are also considering that right now.

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