Browse Foundations

Foundations

Overview

Use typography to organise content, support reading, and create a clear hierarchy across SGDS interfaces.

Principles

Legibility

Make each letterform easy to tell apart. Legibility supports readability.

Readability

Make blocks of text easy to scan so users can read comfortably.

Scannability

Use writing, headings, spacing, and structure to make content easy to scan.

Rules and guidelines

Create contrast, skip one

Use contrast for order and emphasis. Skip one size, weight, or colour step.

Leading and tracking

Use tighter tracking for larger, bolder type and looser tracking for smaller type.

Line length

Keep long body text to 40 to 60 characters per line, and short text to 20 to 40.

Typeface

Inter is a typeface carefully crafted & designed for computer screens. Inter features a tall x-height to aid in readability of mixed-case and lower-case text.

Each set of weights serve a different purpose.

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Font weight

Bold

Inter Bold can be used for ALL displays and headings.

This is Inter Bold 700

Semi Bold

Inter Semi Bold can be used for subtitles, labels and buttons but should NEVER be used for body copy.

This is Inter Semi Bold 600

Regular

Inter Regular can be used for ALL body copy, long-form paragraph content, footnotes (such as terms and conditions text), captions and labels.

This is Inter Regular 400

Light

Inter Light can be used for displays, headings, subtitles and placeholder text but should NEVER be used for body copy.

This is Inter Light 300

Type system

The type system includes a range of contrasting styles that support the needs of your product and its content.

The type scale is a combination of 40 styles that are supported by the type system. It contains reusable categories of text, each with an intended application and meaning.

Base size

The default text size in browsers is 16px/1rem.

16 16 px

Type scale aspect ratio

The aspect ratio of the type system is Minor Third (1.200).

141620242832404856

Line height aspect ratio

In the type system there is 2 aspect ratio for the line height:

  1. Minor third (1.200) for Displays, Headings and Subtitles
  2. Perfect Fifth (1.500) for Bodys, Labels, Caption and Overline
BaselineHeading52 px

Type pairing

SGDS has developed a pairing formula and the formula is the only pairing option that is allowed in system communications.

Never pair two weights that are one grade away from each other. For example, Bold and Regular.

Spacing formula

Font size / 4

Example: 28 / 4 = 7 ≈ 8 px (round up to nearest system spacing)

font size 28px

This is a header

8 px

This is a body

Type pairing example

Pairing example A

Display medium bold + Heading medium light (subheading)

48 / 4 = 12 px

Introduction

12 px

An agency should consider using the privacy statement template appended below, and to only deviate from it when there are good reasons to do so.

Pairing example B

Heading large bold + Body large regular

32 / 4 = 8 px

Introduction

8 px

An agency should consider using the privacy statement template appended below, and to only deviate from it when there are good reasons to do so.

Pairing example C

Subtitle small semibold + Body small regular

20 / 4 = 5 px ≈ 4 px

Introduction

4 px

An agency should consider using the privacy statement template appended below, and to only deviate from it when there are good reasons to do so.

Pairing example D

Label medium semibold + caption regular

16 / 4 = 4 px

Introduction

4 px

An agency should consider using the privacy statement template appended below, and to only deviate from it when there are good reasons to do so.

Heading

Style name
Size(px/em)
Weight
Leading(px/rem)
Tracking(px)
Case
Margin (bottom)(px/em)

Heading 1 (h1)

Heading extra large bold
40/2.5
700
120%
-0.4
Sentence
20/1.25

Heading 2 (h2)

Heading large bold
32/2
700
120%
-0.4
Sentence
16/1

Heading 3 (h3)

Heading medium bold
28/1.75
700
120%
-0.4
Sentence
16/1

Heading 4 (h4)

Heading small bold
24/1.5
700
120%
-0.4
Sentence
16/1
Heading 5 (h5)
Subtitle medium semi bold
20/1.25
600
120%
0
Sentence
8/0.5
Heading 6 (h6)
Subtitle small semi bold
16/1
600
20/1.25
0
Sentence
8/0.5

Singapore Government Design System

The Singapore Government Design System was developed to empower teams in creating fast, accessible and mobile-friendly digital services.

Past VersionsSGDS v1SGDS v2