Pinterest uses a proprietary typeface called Pinterest Sans for its brand identity and parts of its interface. It was introduced in late 2023 as part of a larger brand refresh. But the text you type — pin descriptions, comments, board names — renders in the system font on each device. There's no text formatting for pin descriptions, and no font picker anywhere in the app.
Pinterest is an interesting case because it went years without a custom typeface before finally commissioning one. If you're trying to figure out what controls the look of text on Pinterest and whether you can change it, here's what's actually happening.
What is Pinterest Sans?
Pinterest Sans is a custom typeface built specifically for Pinterest, designed in collaboration with the type foundry Grilli Type (the same foundry behind X's Chirp font and the GT America family). Pinterest announced it in late 2023 alongside a broader visual identity update that included new brand colors and a refreshed logo treatment.
The design draws from Pinterest's rounded, approachable aesthetic. The letterforms have soft terminals and generous proportions — think warm and readable rather than sharp and corporate. It ships in multiple weights so it can handle everything from headlines to button labels.
Before Pinterest Sans, the platform relied on a mix of Helvetica Neue and system fonts for most of its text rendering. The introduction of a custom typeface was part of Pinterest's push to establish a more distinctive visual identity, separate from the generic Silicon Valley look.
Where does Pinterest Sans actually appear?
You'll see Pinterest Sans in:
- The Pinterest logo and wordmark (the updated lettering)
- Marketing materials — ads, campaigns, press kits, brand partnerships
- Some UI elements — headers, navigation labels, and buttons in the web experience
- The web app — pinterest.com uses Pinterest Sans in the CSS font stack for key interface text
But here's the critical distinction: Pinterest Sans is not what renders your pin descriptions, comments, or board titles. User-generated text falls back to the system font.
The text you type — pin descriptions, comments, board names, profile bios — renders in the device's system font:
- On iPhone/iOS: SF Pro (San Francisco)
- On Android: Roboto
- On desktop web: The browser's font stack, which typically starts with Helvetica Neue or Arial on macOS and Segoe UI on Windows, with Pinterest Sans higher in the stack for UI elements
This means the same pin description looks slightly different depending on who's viewing it and on what device. A pin you wrote on your MacBook renders in one typeface for someone viewing it on a Samsung Galaxy and another typeface on an iPhone. The differences are subtle — all three are clean sans-serifs — but they're there.
Can you format text in pin descriptions?
No. Pinterest offers no text formatting for pin descriptions, comments, or board titles. There is:
- No bold
- No italic
- No underline or strikethrough
- No heading sizes
- No bullet points or numbered lists
- No Markdown support
The description field is plain text. Pinterest has never offered rich-text editing for pins, and as of 2026, that hasn't changed.
This is a notable gap compared to platforms like Telegram, which supports bold, italic, monospace, and more through a built-in editor. But it's the same situation as Instagram captions or Threads posts — plain text only.
How do people get styled text in pin descriptions?
Unicode look-alike characters. The same technique used across Instagram, X, Threads, and most other social platforms.
Unicode includes separate code points for characters that look like bold, italic, script, and decorative versions of the Latin alphabet. A tool like our text generator or bold text generator swaps your normal letters for those look-alikes. You copy the result and paste it into your pin description or board name. Pinterest stores them as-is.
Some pinners use this to make a single bold keyword stand out in a description, or to give a board title a distinctive look. It works, but the usual caveats apply:
- Latin only. No styled variants exist for non-Latin scripts.
- Search impact. A pin description written in Unicode styled characters won't be matched by Pinterest's search engine for the normal spelling of those words. On a platform where search and SEO are everything, that's a meaningful cost.
- Accessibility. Screen readers often skip or misread Unicode math-styled characters. See are Unicode fonts accessible for the details.
- Box rendering. Some devices display blank rectangles instead of styled characters. See why fancy text shows as boxes.
On Pinterest specifically, the search issue is the big one. Pinterest functions as a visual search engine. If your pin description is in Unicode "bold" text, it's effectively invisible to Pinterest's text-based search algorithms. That's the opposite of what you want for a pin's discoverability.
What about text on pin images themselves?
Text overlaid on pin images is part of the image file — it's whatever font the creator used in their design tool (Canva, Photoshop, Figma, etc.). Pinterest doesn't control or render that text; it's baked into the pixels.
This is the one place where you have complete freedom over typography. You can use any font you own or license in your image editor. Popular choices for pins include clean sans-serifs for readability, bold display fonts for headlines, and handwritten scripts for a crafted look. Pinterest's own design guidelines recommend high contrast and large text for pin readability, but there's no technical restriction on font choice.
Quick comparison: Pinterest's font layers
| Where | What renders | Can you change it? |
|---|
| Brand / logo / marketing | Pinterest Sans (proprietary) | No — Pinterest-owned |
| App UI (headers, buttons) | Pinterest Sans (web) + system font (mobile) | No |
| Pin descriptions, comments, bios | System font (SF Pro / Roboto / browser default) | No native option; Unicode copy-paste only |
| Text on pin images | Whatever the creator used | Yes — any font in your design tool |
How to make your pin text stand out
Since Pinterest has no formatting options, your practical choices are:
- Write clear, searchable descriptions in plain text. On Pinterest, discoverability matters more than decoration. Well-written keywords in plain text will outperform styled Unicode every time.
- Use Unicode sparingly. A single bold word for emphasis in a board title can look good. A full description in script text hurts both readability and search.
- Put your typography in the image. The pin image is where font choice actually matters. Use your design tool to pick a readable, on-brand typeface for any text overlay.
- Use our font generator if you do want to add a styled accent to a board name or profile section — but keep it to one or two words.
FAQ
What is Pinterest's official font?
Pinterest's brand typeface is Pinterest Sans, a custom font created with Grilli Type and introduced in late 2023. It appears in Pinterest's branding, marketing materials, and parts of the web interface, but not in user-generated text like pin descriptions.
Can I download Pinterest Sans?
No. Pinterest Sans is proprietary and owned by Pinterest. It is not publicly licensed or available for download. Any site offering it as a free download is not distributing the official font files.
What font do pin descriptions use?
Pin descriptions render in the device's system font: SF Pro on iPhone, Roboto on Android, and the browser's default sans-serif (typically Helvetica Neue or Segoe UI) on desktop. Pinterest does not apply a custom font to user-generated text.
Can I bold text in a Pinterest pin description?
Not natively. Pinterest has no built-in bold, italic, or any text formatting for descriptions. People who post styled text are using Unicode look-alike characters from a generator. However, this can hurt your pin's search discoverability.
Does fancy text hurt my pin's SEO on Pinterest?
Yes. Pinterest's search engine matches normal text, not Unicode styled characters. A description written in Unicode "bold" is effectively invisible to keyword searches. For a platform built on search and discovery, that's a significant cost.
Who designed Pinterest Sans?
Pinterest Sans was created in collaboration with Grilli Type, the same Swiss type foundry that built Chirp for X (Twitter) and produces the GT America family.
What font should I use for text on pin images?
Any font you own or license. Pinterest doesn't control typography in your images. Popular choices include clean sans-serifs for readability and bold display fonts for headlines. Pinterest recommends high-contrast, large text for mobile viewing.
