Custom fonts improve brand identity but require careful loading strategy to avoid performance regressions.
Font loading essentials
- Use modern formats like WOFF2.
- Subset character ranges when possible.
- Set
font-displaybehavior intentionally.
Production checklist
- Load only used weights/styles.
- Measure CLS/FCP impact after adding fonts.
- Confirm fallback stack quality.
Important interview questions and answers
- Q: Why choose WOFF2?
A: Better compression and modern browser support. - Q: What is
font-display: swap?
A: Shows fallback immediately, then swaps when custom font loads. - Q: How to reduce custom font cost?
A: Subset files and remove unused weights.
Practice: Change one property in the playground and observe cascade + layout in DevTools.