IOS Typography

iOS typography — Dynamic Type, SF, and data-grade numerics

Source: Apple HIG Typography + SwiftUI Font docs, cross-checked across two research passes (June 2026). Apple says: use the built-in text styles, prefer SF, avoid thin weights, support Dynamic Type.

1. The SF family system

Four system typefaces — SwiftUI selects optical sizes automatically:

• SF Pro — default UI sans (.fontDesign(.default)). Auto-switches Text (small) vs Display (large) optical sizes.
• SF Pro Rounded — friendlier; great for large numerics / health-app tone (.fontDesign(.rounded)).
• SF Mono — fixed-width, code/data (.fontDesign(.monospaced)).
• New York — system serif, editorial/reading (.fontDesign(.serif)).

Weights run Ultralight→Black. Don't embed system fonts — use the Font.Design constants. Default iOS text size is 17 pt; minimum 11 pt.

2. Dynamic Type built-in text styles (default "Large" size)

Use these, not hard-coded sizes — they scale with the user's setting, hit larger accessibility sizes, and switch the SF optical variant automatically.

Verify-at-source flag: a live-HIG read in this research returned an anomalous spec table (Large Title 31 / Body 14) on the iOS Typography page, conflicting with the canonical values above and with the page's own "default body = 17pt." The 34/17 ramp above is the long-established iOS scale and is what to build to; confirm against Apple Design Resources (Sketch/Figma/Adobe templates) or on-device before locking a production ramp. Tracking/leading are auto-adjusted by the system per point size — don't set them manually.

3. Weights — prefer / avoid

• Prefer: Regular, Medium, Semibold, Bold.
• Avoid: Ultralight / Thin / Light on body or UI text — fragile, low-contrast, reads "designery but cheap." Reserve only for very large display numerals, if at all.

4. Pairing & hierarchy for a minimal health/nutrition app

• One family; build hierarchy from size + weight + color + spacing, not from many fonts. Use the built-in styles: Large Title = the screen's single title; Title 2 = section heads; Headline = eyebrow/label; Body = content; Subheadline/Footnote = secondary; Caption = metadata. A tight scale (≈6–8 steps) is the biggest "looks designed" signal — don't invent intermediate sizes.
• Serif vs SF: keep all chrome + data in SF; reach for New York only on an editorial reading surface (an insight/article screen). Serif in dense data UI usually hurts.
• Rounded for big numbers: .fontDesign(.rounded) on large calorie/macro counts gives the friendly modern health-app feel (FoodNoms/Cal-AI) without breaking HIG.
• Label-vs-value pattern (reads premium): a small Semibold/uppercase caption label (e.g. "PROTEIN", 12–13pt, secondary color) above a large value (rounded, 28–34pt, primary color). The value dominates by size + color; the label recedes — don't make the label heavier to compete.

5. Data-grade numerics (critical)

Apply .monospacedDigit() to every number that updates or stacks in a column — calorie counts, macro grams, weights. It fixes digit width so values don't "jitter" or misalign as digits change, while leaving text proportional. Omitting it is a top "amateur" tell.

6. SwiftUI font APIs

Text("Calories").font(.headline)                 // built-in, scales — PREFER
Text("1,840")
    .font(.system(.largeTitle, design: .rounded)) // style + family, still scales
    .fontWeight(.bold)
    .monospacedDigit()                            // fixed-width digits for data

.fontWeight(.semibold)        // Regular / Medium / Semibold / Bold
.fontDesign(.rounded)         // .rounded / .serif / .monospaced / .default
.font(.system(size: 17))      // fixed size — bypasses Dynamic Type, use sparingly
.font(.custom("YourFont", size: 17, relativeTo: .body))  // custom font that STILL scales

Custom fonts must use relativeTo: or they ignore the user's text-size setting. .monospacedDigit(), .smallCaps(), .leading(.tight/.loose) are all Dynamic-Type-safe.

7. Mistakes that read as cheap

Oversized/multiple competing Large Titles · thin weights on small text · too many bespoke sizes · non-tabular numbers in data columns · hard-coded .system(size:) that never scales (a11y failure) · using weight as the only hierarchy tool (bolding everything).

8. Greg application

• Replace ad-hoc .font(.system(size: 38, design: .serif)) titles with built-in styles; reserve one Large Title per screen.
• Calorie/macro readouts: .system(.largeTitle/.title, design: .rounded).monospacedDigit(); labels in .caption/.footnote secondary color.
• Drop the serif display face from data UI (keep SF/SF Rounded); New York only if an insight/reading screen ships.
• Audit at the largest accessibility text size — primary numbers stay near the top, layouts stack rather than truncate.

Pairs with: ios-layout-and-grid (baseline/leading rhythm), ios-color-and-materials (label vs value color), ios-sf-symbols-and-icons (weight matching).