Format · 2026-08-22 · 12 min read

CV fonts and colors: what ATS still reads in 2026

Calibri, Arial or Georgia in black; one accent, not a gradient. Which typefaces and colors break the filter, and how to fix the PDF. ClarCV.

Color and type on a CV are not “personal brand.” They are contrast, parsing, and a black-and-white printout in HR. ATS extracts characters, not your Canva palette. A script heading, light grey on white, or a gradient behind the name can leave the header unreadable for the filter and for whoever prints. If you already have a pretty PDF that does not select well, the fix is a system font and one accent, not more design.

Bridge to templates: ATS-friendly templates. Cousin of pictograms: icons on the CV. If the file was born in Canva: Canva and ATS. ClarCV applies A4 templates with embedded fonts and simple hierarchy. Free: 3 analyses and 2 downloads / 30 days, no card. Pro €7/month.

An accent on the name or H2s is enough. Body in black. If the CV’s value depends on a Pantone, the document is fragile.

Fonts that survive the filter and the printer

Use a sans for headings and body, or a sober serif for the name. Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, Georgia, Source Sans, Liberation: parsers and Word know them. Avoid script, “handwriting”, Comic Sans, and trendy display faces that become Arial on another PC. Size: name 16–20 pt, section titles 12–13, body 10–11. Under 9 pt is hell on mobile and in OCR.

• One family, two weights (regular + semibold). Do not mix five Google Fonts.
• Avoid odd ligatures and small caps in the email: C++ and .NET break.
• Do not put the phone in a dingbat icon: ATS will not dial it.
• If you export PDF, embed fonts. A PDF that asks to download a font is a risk.

Color: one accent, black text, real contrast

Before: purple gradient, white text on a photo, coral rules. After: #111 or black text, a dark blue or green on H2s, a thin line. Print greyscale: if the H2 vanishes, the accent was too light. A staffing recruiter often prints. ATS does not “see” brand color; if type is white on a box, it sometimes extracts emptiness.

Colored “Photoshop 80%” bars are not a level: they are a graphic. Skills as text: see the icons guide. ClarCV template color is built for A4 and not to fight the parser. You pick the template; do not chase a brand Pantone on the job-application CV.

How to fix the file you already have

Open the PDF, select a paragraph. If the order is nonsense or hollow characters appear, the font or the boxes are broken. In ClarCV you upload Word or PDF, see clarity and structure, apply a template with standard headings. We do not promise a percentage against Workday. We do promise an A4 you can copy. Start free; Pro if you iterate templates often.