If the content is more important than the form, then a reserved design is required. If a brand wants to exude clarity, simplicity or transparency, then this promise should be made with a typeface that embodies these properties itself.

Ika appearance is drawn in equal parts from humanistic, constructed and geometric influences. Its clear, open and balanced forms, the distinguishable characters according to DIN 1450 “Lettering – Legibility” and a perfectly balanced gray value also make this sans serif one of the most legible fonts in the Fontwerk library. It is the first choice for campaigns where other types may seem too soft or too ordinary.

Ika is a timeless family and leaves nothing to be desired in terms of its size. Nine weights from Thin to Ultra are equipped with the appropriate Italics and in addition to the extended Latin language support, the typeface also has Greek and Cyrillic alphabets, covering 107 languages. Complex branding projects also benefit from a good number of extra characters, four different digit sets and all the relevant OpenType features. Ika is an ideal candidate for use in logos, branding, corporate design, posters, billboards as well as for wayfinding systems and texts, especially in small sizes.

While its sister consistently subordinates itself to the content of a text, the compact variant pushes more to the fore, but without losing the characteristic humanistic, constructed and geometric elements of its sibling. The similarities end with the glyphs and their contrast. They are significantly narrower and the contrast is less. The x-height is lower, the ascenders and descenders are shorter and the terminals are vertical. All of this results in an extreme compactness and a somewhat more decorative and striking character, but also a little more static character. What is actually intended for tight headlines works also well in small texts as well as in interface design, especially in call-to-action buttons and UI menus and the three widths are perfectly suited to such usage.

Stylistically, Ika Compact moves in the direction of tightly running American grotesque fonts with a rational form principle such as Alternate Gothic or Trade Gothic. Thanks to its open forms and the distinguishable characters based on DIN 1450, it is more elegant, accessible and clearly legible. Although she sees herself primarily as a family member of the Ika family, the Ika Compact also plays out its strengths as a display font independently of her sister.