Choosing Fonts for a Swedish Brand: Å, Ä, Ö and Licences
By CodexierPublished 5 min read
Choosing a typeface feels like a matter of taste, and partly it is. But for a Swedish brand there are practical checks that decide whether a font works at all: how it draws å, ä and ö, whether the licence covers your website and app, how heavily it loads, and whether the way you serve it sends visitor data to a third party. This guide goes through each before the pairing and hierarchy questions.
Checking å, ä and ö properly
Almost every modern font technically contains å, ä and ö. The question is how well they are drawn. Look for diacritics that are clearly placed and in proportion, a ring on Å that does not collide with the line above in tight headings, and umlauts that remain distinct from each other at small sizes. Type a real paragraph with words like Ängelholm, Östersund, Åre and färdtjänst, and set a heading in capitals. Check other characters you may need too, such as é in names and café, and ü or ø if you work across the Nordics.
- Test headings in all caps with tight line height, where Å most often clips.
- Compare body text at the sizes you will actually use on a phone.
- Check bold and italic, since some families draw diacritics differently per weight.
- If you subset the font to reduce file size, make sure Swedish characters are included.
Licences for web and apps
| Licence type | Covers | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop | Design files, print, logos | Usually does not allow embedding on a website |
| Web | Serving the font on your sites | Often limited by page views or domains |
| App | Embedding in iOS and Android apps | Frequently a separate purchase |
| Open source, such as SIL OFL | Web, apps and print, free of charge | Quality varies; still test the Swedish characters |
Keep the licence documents with your brand files. When an agency buys the licence, make sure it is in your company's name.
Self-hosting vs font services
Loading fonts from an external service means every visitor's browser contacts that service, sending its IP address. European courts have found that embedding a hosted font service without consent can breach GDPR, since the IP address is personal data and nothing required the transfer. The simple fix is to download the font files, if the licence allows, and serve them from your own domain. It is usually faster too, because the browser avoids an extra connection.
Performance and loading
WOFF2 only
All current browsers support it, and it is the smallest format. Older formats add weight for no benefit.
Few weights
Each weight and style is a file. Regular, bold and perhaps one more are usually enough, or one variable font.
Preload the main font
Preload the body font so text renders in the brand font on first paint.
Sensible fallback
Use font-display swap and a fallback system font with similar proportions, so the layout does not jump.
Pairing and hierarchy
One family with several weights is often enough for a small brand. If you pair two, give them clear jobs: one for headings with character, one for body text that is easy to read for long stretches. Define the scale as tokens, such as sizes, weights and line heights for each heading level and body text, so designers and developers use the same system. Our guide on whether you need a design system explains when that structure pays off.
- Body text large enough on mobile, with generous line height.
- Clear size steps between heading levels.
- Colour and contrast that pass accessibility requirements, as in our guide to brand colours that pass contrast.
- Line length limited so paragraphs stay readable on wide screens.
When you do not need to buy anything: a well-drawn open-source font, self-hosted and tested with Swedish text, serves most small companies perfectly well. When the brand spans website, app and documents, our design system and UI kit sets the typography as reusable tokens. See the pricing page or book a short call.
Frequently asked questions
Is Google Fonts illegal to use in Sweden?
Using the fonts is fine; many are open source. The risk lies in loading them from Google's servers, which sends visitors' IP addresses to Google. Downloading the files and hosting them yourself avoids the issue.
Can we use the same font in our app as on the website?
Technically yes, but check the licence. Commercial fonts often need a separate app licence. Open-source fonts can usually be embedded in apps without extra cost.
How many fonts should a brand have?
One or two families. More families add loading time and visual noise. Variety comes more usefully from weights and sizes within the same family.
Should we use a system font instead?
System fonts load instantly and read well, and are a sound choice for apps and tools. For a brand that wants a distinct voice, a custom font in headings with a system font for body text is a good compromise.
Check your brand typography
Send us your current fonts and where they are used. In 15 minutes we will flag licence, character and loading issues.
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