Lettera Text Family Overview Styles About the Font The LL Lettera font family hear- The Müller-Brockmann sketches, Lettera Text Light kens back to an original typeface for one, revealed that he was design by Josef Müller-Brockmann attempting to adapt some version (1914–96), which Olivetti commis- of Akzidenz Grotesk for type- Lettera Text Light Italic sioned in 1968 for future use with writers. In comparison, the tech- their newly developed golf ball nical drawings from Ivrea allowed typewriter. us to trace the modifications Lettera Text Regular LL Lettera Text is a full-blown executed by Olivetti’s engineers. proportional adaptation of the Based on these findings, both earlier monospaced version the monospace version and the Lettera Text Italic LL Lettera (2008). It was debuted text font were thoroughly over- and released in 2011. hauled in the course of several Lettera Text Medium These first versions were based years. They were re-issued in 2019. on a single sheet specimen of one cut, which Kobi Benezri had Lettera Text Medium Italic encountered while working on a Müller-Brockmann monograph. Following 2012, further research Lettera Text Bold at Olivetti’s archive in Ivrea, Italy – as well as at Josef Müller- Brockmann’s estate in Zurich – led Lettera Text Bold Italic to a better understanding of the font and the production process. Lettera Text Black This research made clear that there were two groups of sources. Lettera Text Black Italic Encoding LL Lettera Text: Latin Extended File Formats Opentype CFF, Truetype, WOFF, WOFF2 Separate Design Kobi Benezri (2011) PDF Lettera Mono Light Lettera Mono Light Italic Contact General inquiries: Lineto GmbH [email protected] Lutherstrasse 32 CH-8004 Zürich Lettera Mono Regular Technical inquiries: Switzerland Lettera Mono Italic [email protected] Sales & licensing inquiries: www.lineto.com Lettera Mono Medium [email protected] Lettera Mono Medium Italic LL Lettera Text – Specimen 2 Lineto Type Foundry Glyph Overview Uppercase Case Sensitive A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S Forms ( ) [ ] { } - – — ‹ › « » T U V W X Y Z Currency, Mathematical € $ £ ¥ ₡ ₦ ₲ ₵ ¢ ₺ ₿ � ¤ % ‰ Lowercase a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s ß t u Operators % ‰ + − × ÷ = ≡ ≠ ≈ < > ≤ ≥ ± ~ ¬ v w x y z ◊ ∂ ∆ ∏ ∑ Ω μ ł ∫ ∞ √ ∕ ^ | ¦ ℓ ℮ ° Proportional, 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 0 � � � � � � � � � Fractions Tabular Figures ↉ ½ ⅓ ¼ ⅕ ⅙ ⅐ ⅛ ⅑ ⅒ ⅔ ⅖ ¾ ⅗ ⅜ ⅘ ⅚ ⅝ ⅞ Ligatures fi fl ff ffi ffl Numerators, Denominators 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ⁄ � � � � � � � � � � Std Accented Characters À à Á á  â à ã Ä ä Å å Æ æ Ç ç È è É é Superscripts, – Standard Subscripts H ⁰ ¹ ² ³ ⁴ ⁵ ⁶ ⁷ ⁸ ⁹ H ₀ ₁ ₂ ₃ ₄ ₅ ₆ ₇ ₈ ₉ Western Ê ê Ë ë Ì ì Í í Î î Ï ï Ð ð Ł ł Ñ ñ Œ œ Ò ò Ó ó Ô ô Õ õ Ö ö Ø ø Š š Ù ù Ú ú Arrows ← → ↑ ↓ ↖ ↗ ↘ ↙ Û û Ü ü Ý ý Ÿ ÿ Ž ž Þ þ Symbols ◊ ▲ ▼ Pro Accented Characters Ā ā Ă ă Ą ą Ǽ ǽ Ć ć Ĉ ĉ Ċ ċ Č č Ď ď – Latin Roman Ⅰ Ⅱ Ⅲ Ⅳ Ⅴ Ⅵ Ⅶ Ⅷ Ⅸ Ⅹ Ⅺ Ⅻ Ⅼ Ⅽ Ⅾ Ⅿ Extension Đ đ Ē ē Ĕ ĕ Ė ė Ę ę Ě ě Ĝ ĝ Ğ ğ Ġ ġ Numerals Ģ ģ Ĥ ĥ Ħ ħ Ĩ ĩ Ī ī Ĭ ĭ Į į İ ı IJ ij Ĵ ĵ Ķ ķ ĸ ⅰ ⅱ ⅲ ⅳ ⅴ ⅵ ⅶ ⅷ ⅸ ⅹ ⅺ ⅻ ⅼ ⅽ ⅾ ⅿ Ĺ ĺ Ļ ļ Ľ ľ Ŀ ŀ Ń ń Ņ ņ Ň ň ʼn Ŋ ŋ Ō ō Ŏ ŏ Ő ő Ǿ ǿ Ŕ ŕ Ŗ ŗ Ř ř Ś ś Ŝ ŝ Ş ş Ș ș Ţ ţ Ț ț Ť ť Ŧ ŧ Ũ ũ Ū ū Ŭ ŭ Ů ů Ű ű Ų ų Ŵ ŵ Ŷ ŷ Ź ź Ż ż Ə ə Punctuation ( . , : ; ? ! ¿ ¡ … ) [ & @ # # ] { - – — } « » ‹ › „ “ ” ‚ ‘ ’ _ / \ ' " † ‡ * • ¶ § © ® ™ LL Lettera Text – Specimen 3 Lineto Type Foundry Layout Features Case Sensitive Forms [Discret] [DISCRET] May–July MAY–JULY «Hello» «HELLO» Standard Ligatures flat office flat office filled filled Tabular Lining 4.9.1984 �.�.���� Numbers 1.1.2011 �.�.�0�� Arbitrary Fractions 65 2/5 × 9 4/5 65 ⅖ × 9 ⅘ 4 1/6 ÷ 2 1/5 4 ⅙ ÷ 2 ⅕ 100 5/8 × 32 3/4 100 ⅝ × 32 ¾ Superscript North1, East2 North1, East2 Subscript H2O H₂O Ordinals 1a 1ª Sharp S Nebenstrasse Nebenstraße LL Lettera Text – Specimen 4 Lineto Type Foundry LL Lettera Text Light 58 Points Aligned 45 Points Information Basic, Clear Knowledge LEGIBLE Definite 35 Points Minimalistic DYNAMIC Precision 47 Points Elementary Readability, Rhythm RULES Forms 27 Points Sans-Serif Grid Systems Standardization Timelessness Harmony Uniformity, Visually ICONIC WHITESPACE LL Lettera Text – Specimen 5 Lineto Type Foundry LL Lettera Text Light 16 Points 9 Points to the prerequisites of the mathematical way of thinking.” Max Bill “In themselves, experiments are not “Many young people were attracted to my professional approach. It allowed for an individual interpretation and development of my art. Infinite amounts of energy are ideas without lapsing into a subjective and alienating interpre-­­ wasted because everybody feels he has tation of the job. I always focused on the theme, the product, the event, and it was this which gave rise to the design solution. to make his own start, his own be- Until Müller-Brockmann & Co was set up, all the work that left my studio was checked, evaluated and possibly amended by me. ginning, instead of getting to know what Thereafter the partners took on projects that they saw through has already been done. It is doubtful INDEPENDENTLY FROM START TO FINISH.” MÜLLER-BROCKMANN “HELVETICA IS ESSENTIALLY GOOD AT FUNCTIONAL TASKS that anyone who doesn’t want to...” LIKE ROAD SIGNS, WAY FINDING SIGNS AROUND BUILDINGS, “Perfect typography is certainly the most 7 Points “From all these experiences the most im- the data banks provide in a positive way, portant thing I have learned is that leg- in a communicative spirit, because ELUSIVE OF ALL ARTS. SCULPTURE ibility and beauty stand close together and communication is basic human need.” that type design, in its restraint, should “My library is the expression of my curiosity. IN STONE ALONE COMES NEAR be only felt but not perceived by the reader.” I would advise young people to look “I am sure in some years from now you will at everything they encounter in a critical IT IN OBSTINACY.” JAN TSCHICHOLD see new posters with just white space and light and try to find a better solution. four lines in Garamond.” Adrian Frutiger Then I would urge them at all times to be “The experience of holding a valuable book self-critical.” Josef Müller-Brockmann 13 Points in your hands cannot be replaced by tech- “In a badly designed book, the letters “Far from creating a new formalism, what these nology, no matter how perfect. To be able mill and stand like starving horses in a field. can yield is something far transcending surface to capture an interesting thought in el- In a book designed by rote, they sit like EGANT TYPOGRAPHY WILL ALWAYS BE STALE BREAD AND MUTTON ON THE values since they not only embody form as AN INCOMPARABLE DELIGHT. BUT PAGE. IN A WELL-MADE BOOK, WHERE FUTURE GENERATIONS WILL NO DOUBT DESIGNER, COMPOSITOR AND PRINTER beauty, but also form in which intuitions or ideas LEARN TO USE THE OPPORTUNITIES HAVE ALL DONE THEIR JOBS, NO or conjectures have taken visible substance.” 5 Points “In my own work, I feel compelled to set opinion.” “The design of the music jects in a rational way. A predominately “We call those works of art concrete that came an example: to cultivate a corner of posters is a special case in that artistic foundation may be appropri- unity and to struggle against dismem- they were not sales oriented – their ate for artists, painters and sculptors, into being on the basis of their inherent resources berment and fragmentation in appeal was intended to be artistic. but as a teacher of graphic design the field of design.” Armin Hofmann The stylistic difference between the I have repeatedly impressed upon my “The unconscious is part of the support posters with pictorial geometric students that while it is important and rules – without external borrowing from structure: everything that is stored forms and the purely typographic to be interested in music, old and new, there comes to light in the work pro- ones is that the latter contain no in theatre and opera, old and new natural phenomena, without transforming those cess. What I try to achieve in my work is pictorial interpretation of the musical architecture, they must also concern to communicate information about programme. Without exception themselves with town planning, phenomena, in other words: not by abstraction.” an idea, event or product as clearly as they are free creations that took shape environmental issues and politics.” possible. Such a down-to-earth pres- within the underlying grid system. “I see the task of parents and teachers “THUS, THE MORE SUCCINCTLY A TRAIN OF entation is barely affected by present- For the most part the effect of these as being to instil a positive attitude day trends. But it is not so much a posters is lighter and more poetic.” in young people, to explain that each question of making a statement that “In training young people to be individual can have vital social and THOUGHT WAS EXPOUNDED, AND THE MORE WILL BE VALID FOR ALL TIME AS OF DESIGNERS, THE FIRST THING THAT CULTURAL FUNCTION AND TO BEING ABLE TO COMMUNICATE IN- MUST BE TAUGHT ARE THE LAWS DIRECT THEIR WORK TOWARDS THE COMPREHENSIVE THE UNITY OF ITS BASIC FORMATION TO THE RECIPIENT IN A OF DESIGN WHICH ENABLE THEM TO INTERESTS OF THE GENERAL PUB- WAY THAT LEAVES HIM OR HER FREE DEVELOP THEIR OWN TALENTS LIC.” JOSEF MÜLLER BROCKMANN IDEA, THE CLOSER IT WOULD APPROXIMATE TO FORM A POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE AND TO APPROACH RATIONAL PRO - “WHEN YOU LOOK BACK ON YOUR LL Lettera Text – Specimen 6 Lineto Type Foundry LL Lettera Text Light 58 Points Abstract 45 Points Guideline Bold, Black Homogeneity IMPACT & White 35 Points Meticulousness CLARITY Neat 47 Points Cleanliness Objectivity, Order RATIONAL Counter-form 27 Points Rigor, Regularity Essential Simplicity Tension, Typography Functionalism Universal, Unity GEOMETRIC WELL-DEFINED LL Lettera Text – Specimen 7 Lineto Type Foundry LL Lettera Text Light Italic 16 Points 9 Points “Today we are inundated with such an immense flood of printed mat- “From all these experiences the most ter that the value of individual work has depreciated, for our har - assed contemporaries simply cannot take everything that is printed important thing I have learned is today.