Incorporating a custom font, such as Inter, into a Material UI theme within a React application is a pretty basic step for the user interface’s aesthetics and readability. This guide will walk you through the steps to change the default Material UI font to Inter, and ensure that your application reflects this change across all components.
Before the magic happens in your React app, start by embedding the Inter font. This is achieved by linking to Google Fonts in your index.html. The inclusion of various font weights ensures versatility across your UI components.
<!-- Add Inter font from Google Fonts -->
<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com">
<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.gstatic.com" crossorigin>
<link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Inter:wght@100..900&display=swap" rel="stylesheet">
Transition into defining your theme’s soul in theme.ts. Here, the typography is set to Inter, and a primary color palette is defined. The global override ensures every text element inherits the Inter font, making your UI uniformly elegant.
// Setting up the theme in theme.ts
import { createTheme } from "@mui/material/styles";
const fonts = 'Inter, sans-serif';
const Colors = { primary: '#ffffff' };
export const theme = createTheme({
typography: { fontFamily: fonts },
shape: { borderRadius: 8 },
components: {
MuiCssBaseline: {
styleOverrides: {
'@global': { body: { fontFamily: fonts } },
},
},
// Component color overrides
},
palette: {
primary: { main: Colors.primary },
error: { main: '#ff1744' },
// More color settings
},
});
The culmination of your efforts is witnessed in App.tsx, where the ThemeProvider wraps your component tree. This application-wide theme application ensures consistency and the full effect of your customization.
// Applying the theme in App.tsx
import { ThemeProvider, CssBaseline } from "@mui/material";
import { theme } from "./lib/theme";
const App = () => {
return (
<ThemeProvider theme={theme}>
<CssBaseline />
{/* Application components */}
</ThemeProvider>
);
};
Navigate to Google Fonts and search for “Inter.” Select the font weights you need and follow the instructions to include the font link in your project.
Absolutely! Customize the Colors object in your theme configuration to reflect your brand or design preferences.
Including fonts from Google Fonts is optimized for performance, but be mindful of loading only the necessary font weights to maintain efficiency.
Yes, Inter is an open-source font available on Google Fonts, making it free for commercial and personal use.
By embracing these steps, you’re not only aligning your React application with the latest design trends but also ensuring an enhanced user experience with improved readability and a modern look. The integration of the Inter font with Material UI themes marks a significant leap towards more dynamic and visually appealing web applications in 2024.
