# Impact: the meme font, and where it came from

> Impact was a 1965 typeface from Sheffield before it was the meme font. Its history and Anton, a free Google Fonts alternative, with pairings.

Web page: https://davidewins.com/fonts/impact

A 1965 Sheffield display face that became the meme font.

Preview uses Anton, the closest free match.

## History

- Geoffrey Lee designed Impact in 1965 for the Stephenson Blake foundry in Sheffield. [1]
- It was part of Microsoft's "core fonts for the Web" and has come with Windows since Windows 98. [1]

## Who uses it

- Image macros and internet memes, including lolcats [1]
- Activision's Call of Duty logo, until 2023 [1]

## Sources

1. [Wikipedia: Impact (typeface)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impact_(typeface))

## The free alternative

Anton is condensed and heavy with tight spacing and a tall x-height, the same build as Impact.

Body fonts that go with Anton:

- [Roboto](https://davidewins.com/fonts?heading=impact&body=roboto): A neutral grotesque that stays out of the way of a loud heading.
- [Work Sans](https://davidewins.com/fonts?heading=impact&body=work-sans): Wider letters than the heading, which keeps body text from feeling cramped.
- [Source Serif 4](https://davidewins.com/fonts?heading=impact&body=source-serif-4): A serif body makes a heavy condensed heading read like a newspaper.

[Open Impact in the pairing tool](https://davidewins.com/fonts?heading=impact)