Pairing fonts from the same family is quite common. Like most happy families, the individual members get along quite well with each other. From time to time they may disagree, they get on each other’s nerves as it were.

You want the harmony AND a bit of tension. Admittedly, same family font-pairing may not be at the cutting edge of graphic design, but it is nevertheless a practical, no-nonsense solution to many a layout job.

Harmony + Tension = Dynamic Contrast

In the first example Burdigala X Semi-Serif is the main title font with the X Sans in the subtitle. It works because the two differ “enough” in size, weight and style.

The second one is similar to the first one, but set in reverse, with the X Sans in the main title and the X Semi-Serif in the subtitle.

The third example is the standard version that most people, designers included, opt for: serif + sans serif. Not so exciting as far as design goes but almost always a safe choice.

/ap