Milan-based Leftloft studio has produced a third leg to its hit Etica font family: LFT Etica Mono. Meant to be a coder’s go-to font for everyday use as much as a designer’s way to invoke a certain genre, it is part of a broader and more versatile family that already contains almost 80 sans and serif fonts.
LFT Etica Mono’s ten weights carry the same modern, recognisable DNA of the Etica family while hewing to the defined requirements of a coding typeface: space, density, distinct forms, and clarity. It uses the same instroke on the ‘c’ and open form of the ‘a’ for which the Etica family is famous, but adds something new in the form of an additional italic style.
Monospaced fonts usually incorporate slanted letters as italics, as does LFT Etica Mono, but its default italics have warmer, cursive shapes while the alternate italics are simply slanted. The default ‘a’ is a simplified bowl and stem instead of a two storey shape; the ‘d, f, i, l, t, y’ and others gain an outstroke tail; the ‘e’ is one smooth stroke; and the default ‘k’ is looped. These characters have basic, slanted alternates if the cursive look isn’t desired, and includes a set of arrows and geometric shapes. The monospaced design, by nature, makes the typeface useful in coding and in low readability situations.
And how does LFT Etica Mono work from the designer’s perspective? The starting point was the need for a monospaced Etica companion intended for technical applications: captions in graphic layouts, small text, confined or predefined space, and overall tone. Flat terminals and counters maintain the colour and versatility of the original typeface, but choosing between the organic cursive or blunt slanted alphabet will give every layout its own character. Of particular aesthetic interest may be the & and % symbols.
Designed to be applied to the common visual environment, the new LFT Etica Mono font family completes a more complex system. One benefit is to give an expressive tone — less serious and more friendly — to something inherently technical, to bytes and bots, to encode the beautiful life.
About TypeTogether
Veronika Burian and José Scaglionemet and developed a respectful kinship while completing their Master’s degrees in type design at University of Reading, UK. Established in 2006, TypeTogether is an independent, cosmopolitan type foundry that creates text typography for intensive digital and print editorial use. We have grown into a core team living worldwide and invested in the daily work, networked with other type designers who intermittently cooperate on specific projects.
Through our unique, diverse, curated font platform, TypeTogether creates innovative and stylish solutions to the greatest problems in the professional typography market.
The advantage of being a small but highly specialized company is that we are able to work closely with our clients to accomplish their goals and to respond quickly to their requirements. To carry an organisation’s unique voice across all communications, TypeTogether creates custom type solutions for discerning clients worldwide. Distinct advantages in your market can be gained through logotype creation, commissioning a brand new typeface, modifying existing typefaces, or extending language support.
TypeTogether creates cross-platform OpenType fonts of recognised aesthetic and technical excellence and which perform well in continuous reading. Our internationally awarded catalogue — honoured for its high quality, usefulness, personality, and ability to grab attention — spans many languages and scripts and is diligently expanding each year.
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