Typography 2026 Display Headlines

Character-Rich Display

Free Alternatives

Recommended Pairings

1. Brutalist Tech

Display: Monument Extended Ultra
Headlines: Cabinet Grotesk Bold
Body: Inter Regular

2. Modern SaaS

Display: Clash Display SemiBold
Headlines: General Sans SemiBold
Body: General Sans Regular

3. Creative Agency

Display: Syne Extra Bold
Headlines: Syne Bold
Body: Inter Regular

4. Gaming/Web3

Display: Bebas Neue
Headlines: Archivo Black
Body: Space Grotesk Regular

React Native Implementation

1. Download Display Fonts

Most display fonts need manual download:

• Clash Display: fontshare.com/fonts/clash-display
• Cabinet Grotesk: fontshare.com/fonts/cabinet-grotesk
• General Sans: fontshare.com/fonts/general-sans

2. Install Google Font Dependencies

npx expo install expo-font \
  @expo-google-fonts/syne \
  @expo-google-fonts/archivo \
  @expo-google-fonts/anton \
  @expo-google-fonts/bebas-neue \
  @expo-google-fonts/oswald

3. Font Loading

// apps/mobile/app/_layout.tsx
import { useFonts } from 'expo-font';
import {
  Syne_400Regular,
  Syne_500Medium,
  Syne_600SemiBold,
  Syne_700Bold,
  Syne_800ExtraBold,
} from '@expo-google-fonts/syne';
import { Anton_400Regular } from '@expo-google-fonts/anton';
import { BebasNeue_400Regular } from '@expo-google-fonts/bebas-neue';
import {
  Oswald_400Regular,
  Oswald_500Medium,
  Oswald_600SemiBold,
  Oswald_700Bold,
} from '@expo-google-fonts/oswald';

export default function RootLayout() {
  const [fontsLoaded] = useFonts({
    // Syne family
    'Syne-Regular': Syne_400Regular,
    'Syne-Medium': Syne_500Medium,
    'Syne-SemiBold': Syne_600SemiBold,
    'Syne-Bold': Syne_700Bold,
    'Syne-ExtraBold': Syne_800ExtraBold,

    // Single-weight display
    'Anton': Anton_400Regular,
    'BebasNeue': BebasNeue_400Regular,

    // Oswald condensed
    'Oswald-Regular': Oswald_400Regular,
    'Oswald-Medium': Oswald_500Medium,
    'Oswald-SemiBold': Oswald_600SemiBold,
    'Oswald-Bold': Oswald_700Bold,

    // Custom fonts (Fontshare)
    'ClashDisplay-Regular': require('../assets/fonts/ClashDisplay-Regular.otf'),
    'ClashDisplay-Medium': require('../assets/fonts/ClashDisplay-Medium.otf'),
    'ClashDisplay-SemiBold': require('../assets/fonts/ClashDisplay-Semibold.otf'),
    'ClashDisplay-Bold': require('../assets/fonts/ClashDisplay-Bold.otf'),

    'CabinetGrotesk-Regular': require('../assets/fonts/CabinetGrotesk-Regular.otf'),
    'CabinetGrotesk-Medium': require('../assets/fonts/CabinetGrotesk-Medium.otf'),
    'CabinetGrotesk-Bold': require('../assets/fonts/CabinetGrotesk-Bold.otf'),
    'CabinetGrotesk-ExtraBold': require('../assets/fonts/CabinetGrotesk-Extrabold.otf'),
    'CabinetGrotesk-Black': require('../assets/fonts/CabinetGrotesk-Black.otf'),

    'GeneralSans-Regular': require('../assets/fonts/GeneralSans-Regular.otf'),
    'GeneralSans-Medium': require('../assets/fonts/GeneralSans-Medium.otf'),
    'GeneralSans-SemiBold': require('../assets/fonts/GeneralSans-Semibold.otf'),
    'GeneralSans-Bold': require('../assets/fonts/GeneralSans-Bold.otf'),
  });

  // ... splash screen handling
}

Design Tokens

// packages/ui/src/tokens/typography-display.ts
export const displayTypography = {
  fonts: {
    // Ultra-bold display
    display: 'ClashDisplay-Bold',
    displaySemiBold: 'ClashDisplay-SemiBold',

    // Industrial grotesque
    industrial: 'CabinetGrotesk-Bold',
    industrialBlack: 'CabinetGrotesk-Black',

    // Modern versatile
    modern: 'GeneralSans-Bold',
    modernSemiBold: 'GeneralSans-SemiBold',

    // Condensed display
    condensed: 'BebasNeue',
    condensedAlt: 'Oswald-Bold',

    // Expressive display
    expressive: 'Syne-ExtraBold',
    expressiveBold: 'Syne-Bold',

    // Body pairing
    body: 'GeneralSans-Regular',
    bodyMedium: 'GeneralSans-Medium',
  },

  sizes: {
    // Hero sizes - Maximum impact
    hero1: {
      fontSize: 72,
      lineHeight: 76,
      letterSpacing: -3,
    },
    hero2: {
      fontSize: 56,
      lineHeight: 60,
      letterSpacing: -2,
    },
    hero3: {
      fontSize: 44,
      lineHeight: 48,
      letterSpacing: -1.5,
    },

    // Display sizes
    display1: {
      fontSize: 40,
      lineHeight: 44,
      letterSpacing: -1,
    },
    display2: {
      fontSize: 32,
      lineHeight: 36,
      letterSpacing: -0.5,
    },
    display3: {
      fontSize: 28,
      lineHeight: 32,
      letterSpacing: -0.3,
    },

    // Headlines
    h1: { fontSize: 24, lineHeight: 28, letterSpacing: 0 },
    h2: { fontSize: 20, lineHeight: 24, letterSpacing: 0.1 },
    h3: { fontSize: 18, lineHeight: 22, letterSpacing: 0.1 },

    // Accent sizes
    overline: {
      fontSize: 12,
      lineHeight: 16,
      letterSpacing: 2,
      textTransform: 'uppercase',
    },
    label: {
      fontSize: 14,
      lineHeight: 18,
      letterSpacing: 1,
      textTransform: 'uppercase',
    },
  },

  weights: {
    regular: '400',
    medium: '500',
    semibold: '600',
    bold: '700',
    extrabold: '800',
    black: '900',
  },
};

Component Examples

Display Text Component

// packages/ui/src/components/DisplayText.tsx
import { Text as RNText, TextStyle } from 'react-native';
import Animated, {
  useAnimatedStyle,
  useSharedValue,
  withSpring,
} from 'react-native-reanimated';
import { useEffect } from 'react';
import { displayTypography as t } from '../tokens/typography-display';

type DisplayVariant =
  | 'hero1' | 'hero2' | 'hero3'
  | 'display1' | 'display2' | 'display3'
  | 'h1' | 'h2' | 'h3'
  | 'overline' | 'label';

type DisplayFont = 'display' | 'industrial' | 'modern' | 'condensed' | 'expressive';

interface DisplayTextProps {
  variant?: DisplayVariant;
  font?: DisplayFont;
  color?: string;
  animate?: boolean;
  children: React.ReactNode;
  style?: TextStyle;
}

export function DisplayText({
  variant = 'display1',
  font = 'display',
  color = '#0a0a0a',
  animate = false,
  children,
  style
}: DisplayTextProps) {
  const variantStyle = t.sizes[variant];
  const opacity = useSharedValue(animate ? 0 : 1);
  const translateY = useSharedValue(animate ? 20 : 0);

  useEffect(() => {
    if (animate) {
      opacity.value = withSpring(1, { damping: 20 });
      translateY.value = withSpring(0, { damping: 20 });
    }
  }, [animate]);

  const animatedStyle = useAnimatedStyle(() => ({
    opacity: opacity.value,
    transform: [{ translateY: translateY.value }],
  }));

  const fontFamilyMap: Record<DisplayFont, string> = {
    display: t.fonts.display,
    industrial: t.fonts.industrial,
    modern: t.fonts.modern,
    condensed: t.fonts.condensed,
    expressive: t.fonts.expressive,
  };

  if (animate) {
    return (
      <Animated.Text
        style={[
          variantStyle,
          { fontFamily: fontFamilyMap[font], color },
          animatedStyle,
          style
        ]}
      >
        {children}
      </Animated.Text>
    );
  }

  return (
    <RNText style={[variantStyle, { fontFamily: fontFamilyMap[font], color }, style]}>
      {children}
    </RNText>
  );
}

Hero Section Component

// packages/ui/src/components/HeroDisplay.tsx
import { View, StyleSheet, Dimensions } from 'react-native';
import { LinearGradient } from 'expo-linear-gradient';
import Animated, {
  useAnimatedStyle,
  useSharedValue,
  withDelay,
  withSpring,
} from 'react-native-reanimated';
import { useEffect } from 'react';
import { DisplayText } from './DisplayText';

const { width } = Dimensions.get('window');

interface HeroDisplayProps {
  overline?: string;
  headline: string;
  subheadline?: string;
  gradient?: [string, string];
}

export function HeroDisplay({
  overline,
  headline,
  subheadline,
  gradient = ['#0a0a0a', '#1a1a1a']
}: HeroDisplayProps) {
  const overlineOpacity = useSharedValue(0);
  const headlineOpacity = useSharedValue(0);
  const subOpacity = useSharedValue(0);

  useEffect(() => {
    overlineOpacity.value = withDelay(100, withSpring(1));
    headlineOpacity.value = withDelay(300, withSpring(1));
    subOpacity.value = withDelay(500, withSpring(1));
  }, []);

  const overlineStyle = useAnimatedStyle(() => ({
    opacity: overlineOpacity.value,
    transform: [{ translateY: (1 - overlineOpacity.value) * 10 }],
  }));

  const headlineStyle = useAnimatedStyle(() => ({
    opacity: headlineOpacity.value,
    transform: [{ translateY: (1 - headlineOpacity.value) * 20 }],
  }));

  const subStyle = useAnimatedStyle(() => ({
    opacity: subOpacity.value,
    transform: [{ translateY: (1 - subOpacity.value) * 10 }],
  }));

  return (
    <LinearGradient colors={gradient} style={styles.container}>
      <View style={styles.content}>
        {overline && (
          <Animated.View style={overlineStyle}>
            <DisplayText variant="overline" color="#888">
              {overline}
            </DisplayText>
          </Animated.View>
        )}

        <Animated.View style={[styles.headlineContainer, headlineStyle]}>
          <DisplayText
            variant={width > 400 ? 'hero1' : 'hero2'}
            font="display"
            color="#ffffff"
          >
            {headline}
          </DisplayText>
        </Animated.View>

        {subheadline && (
          <Animated.View style={subStyle}>
            <DisplayText variant="h2" font="modern" color="rgba(255,255,255,0.7)">
              {subheadline}
            </DisplayText>
          </Animated.View>
        )}
      </View>
    </LinearGradient>
  );
}

const styles = StyleSheet.create({
  container: {
    minHeight: 400,
    justifyContent: 'center',
    padding: 24,
  },
  content: {
    gap: 16,
  },
  headlineContainer: {
    marginVertical: 8,
  },
});

Splash Screen Component

// packages/ui/src/components/SplashDisplay.tsx
import { View, StyleSheet, Dimensions } from 'react-native';
import Animated, {
  useAnimatedStyle,
  useSharedValue,
  withTiming,
  withSequence,
  withDelay,
  Easing,
} from 'react-native-reanimated';
import { useEffect } from 'react';
import { DisplayText } from './DisplayText';

const { height } = Dimensions.get('window');

interface SplashDisplayProps {
  brandName: string;
  tagline?: string;
  onAnimationComplete?: () => void;
}

export function SplashDisplay({
  brandName,
  tagline,
  onAnimationComplete
}: SplashDisplayProps) {
  const logoScale = useSharedValue(0.5);
  const logoOpacity = useSharedValue(0);
  const taglineOpacity = useSharedValue(0);

  useEffect(() => {
    // Logo entrance
    logoScale.value = withSequence(
      withTiming(1.1, { duration: 400, easing: Easing.out(Easing.back) }),
      withTiming(1, { duration: 200 })
    );
    logoOpacity.value = withTiming(1, { duration: 300 });

    // Tagline fade in
    taglineOpacity.value = withDelay(600, withTiming(1, { duration: 400 }));

    // Completion callback
    const timeout = setTimeout(() => {
      onAnimationComplete?.();
    }, 1500);

    return () => clearTimeout(timeout);
  }, []);

  const logoStyle = useAnimatedStyle(() => ({
    opacity: logoOpacity.value,
    transform: [{ scale: logoScale.value }],
  }));

  const taglineStyle = useAnimatedStyle(() => ({
    opacity: taglineOpacity.value,
  }));

  return (
    <View style={styles.container}>
      <View style={styles.center}>
        <Animated.View style={logoStyle}>
          <DisplayText
            variant="hero1"
            font="display"
            color="#ffffff"
            style={styles.brandName}
          >
            {brandName}
          </DisplayText>
        </Animated.View>

        {tagline && (
          <Animated.View style={[styles.tagline, taglineStyle]}>
            <DisplayText variant="h3" font="modern" color="rgba(255,255,255,0.6)">
              {tagline}
            </DisplayText>
          </Animated.View>
        )}
      </View>
    </View>
  );
}

const styles = StyleSheet.create({
  container: {
    flex: 1,
    backgroundColor: '#0a0a0a',
  },
  center: {
    flex: 1,
    justifyContent: 'center',
    alignItems: 'center',
  },
  brandName: {
    textAlign: 'center',
  },
  tagline: {
    marginTop: 16,
  },
});

Text Effects

// packages/ui/src/utils/text-effects.ts
import { TextStyle } from 'react-native';

// Text shadow for depth
export const textShadow: TextStyle = {
  textShadowColor: 'rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3)',
  textShadowOffset: { width: 2, height: 2 },
  textShadowRadius: 4,
};

// Gradient text (requires react-native-masked-view)
export const gradientTextColors = {
  sunset: ['#F472B6', '#FB923C'],
  ocean: ['#06B6D4', '#3B82F6'],
  forest: ['#22C55E', '#14B8A6'],
  royal: ['#8B5CF6', '#EC4899'],
};

// Outlined text style
export const outlinedText = (color: string = '#ffffff', width: number = 2): TextStyle => ({
  color: 'transparent',
  textShadowColor: color,
  textShadowOffset: { width: 0, height: 0 },
  textShadowRadius: width,
});

Font Sources

• Clash Display: fontshare.com/fonts/clash-display
• Cabinet Grotesk: fontshare.com/fonts/cabinet-grotesk
• General Sans: fontshare.com/fonts/general-sans
• Syne: Google Fonts
• Bebas Neue: Google Fonts
• Anton: Google Fonts

Brand Examples

Best Practices

1. Use sparingly - Display fonts are for headlines only
2. Maximum contrast - Dark on light or light on dark
3. Generous whitespace - Let the type breathe
4. Responsive sizing - Scale down for mobile
5. Limit line length - 10-15 words max per line
6. Test at size - Display fonts look different small