Linotype has launched one of the lightest fonts ever – Agilita, a new OpenType sans serif." />

Linotype has launched one of the lightest fonts ever – Agilita, a new OpenType sans serif.

In smaller point sizes, the hairline weight of Agilita is so fragile, that the font plays with the possibility of disappearing and reappearing. The larger the point size of the hairline, however, the more delicacy lifts off the page and grabs the eye. In heavier weights, Agilita displays an amicable human robustness and warmth.

Agilita is the latest creative inspiration by Jürgen Weltin, who received accolades for the clean, yet eye-catching strokes of his typeface Yellow, designed for the British Telecommunications directory. Other fonts from Weltin include Finnegan and Balega. When he's not designing, he shares his passion for typeface in lectures on type and typography at the School of Design in Ravensburg.

Jürgen Weltin's first sketches for Agilita were drafted early in 2000. He made a point of designing clear descenders and ascenders to outline classic letter proportions for a more definite word shape. The fine, distinct emphasis on the horizontals helps convey a functional yet dynamic humanism. OpenType features include old style figures and a unique @ sign all which go beyond the line and extend the playful movements of this limber typeface – no matter what the size or weight. All in all, the wide-range font family has 32 type styles and consists of ten weights from hairline to bold, plus six additional condensed styles.

Of the ten Agilita weights, the lighter ones are certainly the most vibrant. Hairline, Ultra Thin, Thin, and Extra Light – these four weights emphasize the power of Agilita's almost buoyant appearance. The Hairline and Ultra Thin styles have been especially designed for display use or for oversize texts in large-scale signage.

The flexibility of Agilita makes it ideal for small detailed layouts or a wide range of other graphic design applications. For example, two sets of arrows are available in all weights for use in orientation systems and complex design or editorial projects, the special arrows and signs can also be used in dictionaries to add clarity to detailed entries. Designers will also find the corresponding condensed weights especially suitable for narrow columns and tables where horizontal space is scarce. In addition, tabular figures in light, regular, medium and bold share identical widths and are compatible with their italic counterparts, so no last minute line shifting or adjustments is required.