WOBURN, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Monotype (NASDAQ: TYPE) today introduced the Between™ typeface family – one of the first typeface designs with three distinct states of being. Described as technical and modern, crisp and highly legible and warm and friendly, the Between family takes inspiration from the hard and sharp perfection of 20th century typefaces and offers a human-centered design to make it approachable and welcoming. Designed by Akira Kobayashi of the Monotype Studio, it offers three designs that evoke different states of energy and speed of movement. With each design offering eight weights and italics, the Between typeface delivers a unique fluidity and sophistication that makes it applicable for a wide variety of uses – from clothing brands with men’s, women’s and children’s lines for example, to fitness, automotive, energy and SaaS (Software as a Service) applications.

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Akira Kobayashi of the Monotype Studio and the designer of the Between typeface (Photo: Business Wire)

With the global trend around many brands adopting rounded and humanist sans serif typefaces, rather than more traditional ones, Kobayashi set out to design a DIN®-style sans serif typeface that was approachable, but offered the right blend of coolness and warmth. Kobayashi drew inspiration from initial traces he made in the 1990s and determined that a single font family with three different yet progressive energy levels would provide customers with unprecedented flexibility to mix and match designs for the greatest impact. The name “Between” was inspired by its ability to transition between voices and applications, making it adaptable and flexible.

• Between 1 is the most modern of the forms which, according to Kobayashi fuses industrial and humanistic san serif styles;
• Between 2 strikes a balance between being crisp and highly legible on one hand and legible and friendly on the other – with the goal of being a typeface with natural looking letterforms; and
• Between 3 offers a lively, handwritten feel – a freestyle sans serif with an uplifting, youthful and dynamic taste.

All three designs share the same cap height and x-height and many letterforms – there’s fluidity between them. However, certain characters like ‘e’ and ‘g’ both demonstrate the unique characteristics of each font in the family, and depict the differences between them.

“There is one characteristic that runs through the Between typeface family – the natural rhythm of letters. I did this deliberately to give Between the ability to transition from one use to the next. For instance, a brand can use one Between design for a bold and strong headline, and another design for body text,” said Kobayashi. “While the styles of Between are related, they are different enough to elicit separate and distinct reactions from readers. To me, Between is like an egg. It can be prepared a number of different ways based on the need of the chef, and every form it takes can be pleasing to consume.”

What designers are saying about the Between typeface

Between is an intriguing typeface, in that it’s trying to do something different and unprecedented with this idea of different energies. – Abbott Miller, partner, Pentagram

I tend to personify my type when I am working with it and I see three really distinct personalities with Between, which is remarkable given how similar they are in so many respects. – Nicole Phillips, TypographHer

I love Between’s concept of three very different variations within one font family and the weight spectrums are beautiful. – Bryan Edmondson, founder and creative director, SEA Design

From a design viewpoint, Between has much charm. From a practical point of view it has great function. I give it a thumbs up. – Steven Heller, co-chair of the MFA Designer as Author program at the School of Visual Arts in New York, author, New York Times Book Review

All of the fonts in Between have a sense of warmth to them, an inviting and approachable quality – a personal touch. – Laura Worthington, type designer

Suggested Typeface Pairings

While the three states of the Between typeface work fluidly together, they are also an ideal complement to other typefaces. Between 1 is a great pairing for static designs like Eurostile®, Verdana®, DIN Next™ and DIN Next Slabs typefaces. Between 2 goes well with designs like the Neue Frutiger® or Avenir® Next typefaces. And designs with round stroke endings like Akko® Rounded and DIN Next Rounded complement Between 3. The adaptability that Between offers both within and outside its typeface family makes it one of the most versatile designs available today.

Monotype constantly strives to add typefaces to its library that meet customer requirements, and the flexibility of the Between typeface means that customers can apply it to a myriad of uses, even within a single project and across a variety of settings and media.

Pricing and Availability

Single fonts of the Between typeface family are available for $35. The complete Between typeface family is available at $299. Between 1, Between 2 and Between 3 can also be purchased individually for $149 each. All Between family packages will be available at a discounted price of 50 percent off through December 1, 2016.

The Between typeface family will also be added to the Monotype Library Subscription, which includes more than 2,200 typeface families. Between will also be available through MyFonts.com, Fonts.com, Linotype.com and FontShop.com, and also with a variety of licensing options for customers through Monotype enterprises sales.

To join the conversation about the Between typeface online, search #MeetBetween on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

About Monotype

Monotype is a leader in empowering expression and engagement through a combination of type, technology and expertise. Headquartered in Woburn, Mass., Monotype provides customers worldwide with typeface solutions for a broad range of creative applications and consumer devices. The company’s libraries and e-commerce sites are home to many of the most widely used typefaces – including the Helvetica®, Frutiger® and Univers® families – as well as the next generation of type designs. Further information is available at www.monotype.com. Follow Monotype on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Between is a trademark of Monotype Imaging Inc. and may be registered in certain jurisdictions. Helvetica, Monotype and Frutiger are trademarks of Monotype Imaging Inc. registered in the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office and may be registered in certain other jurisdictions. Akko, Avenir, DIN, Eurostile and Univers are trademarks of Monotype GmbH registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and may be registered in certain other jurisdictions. DIN Next is a trademark of Monotype GmbH and may be registered in certain jurisdictions. Verdana is either a registered trademark or a trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

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