Design · Tip
iOS UI Font Size Rules & Reference
A reference guide to typography rules and sizes for iOS interfaces.
This reference outlines practical typography sizing standards based on Apple's Human Interface Guidelines. It provides point-to-pixel conversions, standard Dynamic Type scales, baseline screen sizes, and size rules for common UI elements like titles and buttons.
How it works
Rules:
- Pixels vs points: a standard display is 1:1 (@1x); higher-DPI screens are @2x and @3x (a 1x circle of 10×10 px becomes 20×20 and 30×30). For simplicity, treat 1pt as 1px.
- Screen sizes: design for the two extremes — iPhone 13 Pro Max (428×926 pt) and iPhone 13 mini / SE-class (375×812 pt).
- Font sizes (HIG Dynamic Type, Large/Default): Large Title 34/41, Title 1 28/34, Title 2 22/28, Title 3 20/25, Headline 17/22 (Semibold), Body 17/22, Callout 16/21, Subhead 15/20, Footnote 13/18, Caption 1 12/16, Caption 2 11/13 (size/leading in points).
- Large (Display) titles: the biggest, chunkiest sizes (~34px Bold) — name the main areas of an app or use in intro/welcome screens.
- Centered titles: usually bolded, ~17px Semibold; common pattern is shrinking the large title into a centered title when the user scrolls past a viewport height.
- Buttons: height between 44px (minimum tap target) and 56px, width 343px typical, font inside 15–17px.
What it's for
- Choose standard typography sizes for iOS mobile app screens
- Set up accessible Dynamic Type scales in Figma or design systems
- Size interactive elements like buttons to meet Apple's touch target guidelines
Key points
- Explanation of pixels vs points across standard (@1x), @2x, and @3x displays
- Target base screen sizes for testing extremes (375x812 pt up to 428x926 pt)
- Complete Dynamic Type scale reference with point sizes and line leading
- Guidelines for large display titles versus scrolling centered navigation titles
- Button dimension recommendations (44–56pt height) and nested font sizes (15–17pt)
Pricing
Free
Details
- Type
- Tip
- Category
- Design
- Topic
- Typography
- Open source
- No
- Platforms
- other
- For
- UI/UX designers and iOS developers
- Alternative to
- Apple Human Interface Guidelines
- Tags
- ios, typography, mobile design, ui design, design system, guidelines
Why it was saved
- @adriankuleszo: Removes guesswork: gives concrete px values and the HIG Dynamic Type reference, with annotated examples showing each rule applied.
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Updated