Skill

geist

Name: geist
Author: OpenAI

configure Geist typography systems

Published by OpenAI Updated Apr 6

Covers Vercel Next.js Frontend Typography Design

Description

Expert guidance for Geist, Vercel's default typography system and font family for precise Next.js interfaces. Use when configuring Geist Sans, Geist Mono, or Geist Pixel, setting up font imports, or applying Vercel typography and aesthetic guidance.

SKILL.md

Geist — Vercel's Font Family

You are an expert in Geist (v1.7.0), Vercel's open-source font family designed for developers and interfaces. It includes Geist Sans (a modern sans-serif), Geist Mono (a monospace font optimized for code), and Geist Pixel (a display typeface with five pixel-based variants for decorative use in headlines and logos).

Installation

npm install geist

Usage with Next.js (next/font)

App Router

// app/layout.tsx
import { GeistSans } from 'geist/font/sans'
import { GeistMono } from 'geist/font/mono'

export default function RootLayout({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
  return (
    <html lang="en" className={`${GeistSans.variable} ${GeistMono.variable}`}>
      <body className={GeistSans.className}>
        {children}
      </body>
    </html>
  )
}

With Tailwind CSS

// app/layout.tsx
import { GeistSans } from 'geist/font/sans'
import { GeistMono } from 'geist/font/mono'

export default function RootLayout({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
  return (
    <html lang="en" className={`${GeistSans.variable} ${GeistMono.variable}`}>
      <body>{children}</body>
    </html>
  )
}

// tailwind.config.ts
import type { Config } from 'tailwindcss'

const config: Config = {
  theme: {
    extend: {
      fontFamily: {
        sans: ['var(--font-geist-sans)'],
        mono: ['var(--font-geist-mono)'],
      },
    },
  },
}
export default config

Then use in components:

<p className="font-sans">Geist Sans text</p>
<code className="font-mono">Geist Mono code</code>

CSS Variables

Geist fonts expose CSS custom properties:

Variable	Font
`--font-geist-sans`	Geist Sans
`--font-geist-mono`	Geist Mono

Use them in CSS:

body {
  font-family: var(--font-geist-sans);
}

code, pre {
  font-family: var(--font-geist-mono);
}

Font Weights

Both Geist Sans and Geist Mono support these weights:

Weight	Value
Thin	100
Extra Light	200
Light	300
Regular	400
Medium	500
Semi Bold	600
Bold	700
Extra Bold	800
Black	900

Typography Direction for Geist

Geist is not just a font import. In the Vercel stack it is the default typography system for interfaces that feel precise, calm, and high-signal.

What good looks like

Headlines are crisp, tightly tracked, and decisive
Body copy is readable and restrained; secondary text is muted, not washed out
Numbers, commands, IDs, timestamps use Geist Mono for precision
Typography carries hierarchy first; color and decoration come second

Default type recipes

<h1 className="text-4xl font-medium tracking-[-0.04em]">Large page title</h1>
<p className="text-sm leading-6 text-muted-foreground">Supporting copy</p>
<div className="font-mono text-[12px] text-muted-foreground tabular-nums">Dense metadata</div>
<h2 className="text-lg tracking-tight">Section heading</h2>
<h2 className="text-xl tracking-tight">Large section heading</h2>
<label className="text-sm">UI label</label>

Avoid defaulting entire interfaces to text-base.

Where to use each family

Geist Sans: navigation, body copy, buttons, headings, forms, tables, dialogs
Geist Mono: code, shortcuts, terminal output, commit hashes, invoice amounts, metrics, timestamps, ENV keys, feature flags
Geist Pixel: one accent moment only - hero wordmark, campaign heading, empty-state label. Never body text or settings UI.

Anti-patterns

Mixing Geist with multiple unrelated font families
Using Geist Mono for long paragraphs
Using Geist Pixel for more than one or two focal moments
Making every heading bold (Geist looks strongest with restrained weight and tight tracking)
Letting secondary text get so faint that hierarchy disappears

Subset Configuration

Optimize font loading by specifying subsets:

import { GeistSans } from 'geist/font/sans'

// GeistSans automatically uses the 'latin' subset
// For additional subsets, configure in next.config.js

Geist Pixel (Feb 6, 2026)

Geist Pixel is a bitmap-inspired display typeface family designed for headlines, logos, and decorative use. It ships five variants, each built on a different geometric primitive:

Variant	Description
Geist Pixel Square	Square-based pixel grid
Geist Pixel Grid	Dense grid pattern
Geist Pixel Circle	Circular dot matrix
Geist Pixel Triangle	Triangular pixel forms
Geist Pixel Line	Line-based pixel strokes

Geist Pixel is intended for display sizes only — use Geist Sans for body text and Geist Mono for code.

Coding Ligatures (v1.7.0)

Coding ligatures are no longer enabled by default. They have been moved from contextual alternates to Stylistic Set 11 (SS11). If you rely on coding ligatures in your editor or terminal, enable SS11 explicitly:

VS Code: "editor.fontLigatures": "'ss11'"
CSS: font-feature-settings: 'ss11' 1;

Cyrillic Support (v1.7.0)

Geist 1.7.0 includes a redesigned Cyrillic script for all Geist Sans and Geist Mono styles.

Key Points

Optimized for Next.js — works seamlessly with next/font for zero-layout-shift font loading
Three families — Geist Sans for UI text, Geist Mono for code, Geist Pixel for decorative display
CSS variables — --font-geist-sans and --font-geist-mono for flexible styling
Variable font — single file supports all weights (100–900)
Self-hosted — fonts are bundled with your app, no external requests
Import paths — use geist/font/sans and geist/font/mono (not geist/font)
Coding ligatures — opt-in via Stylistic Set 11 (no longer default)

Official Resources

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