Roboto serif, a new typeface from Google

Roboto (previously at Boing Boing) is an unusual yet versatile neo-grotesk sans-serif font created by Google in 2011 as it sought to establish credibility in competition with design-obsessed Apple. Now, a decade later, it has a "surprisingly retro" serif version to go with it and its mono and slab-serif brethren.

The new font isn't just the old Roboto letters with some serifs slapped on, though: rather, each letter was redrawn from scratch to create a font that "thinks about Roboto, but is a new and original design," according to Google UX manager Rob Giampietro. The new font still uses the same vertical proportions of Roboto Sans, making it possible to mix the serif and sans-serif versions in a single design.