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Monotype Imaging Introduces the Akko Typeface Family into the Linotype Collection

Wednesday 04. May 2011 - Beauty, Legibility and Versatility Combine as Key Attributes in Akira Kobayashi's Newest Design

Monotype Imaging Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: TYPE), a leading global provider of text imaging solutions, has launched the 24-font Akko typeface suite by Akira Kobayashi, type director at the company’s Germany-based subsidiary, Linotype GmbH. The newest member of the Linotype collection, Akko is the first original typeface by Kobayashi in several years.
“Akira’s new design is well worth the wait,” said Allan Haley, director of words and letters at Monotype Imaging. “Akko is meticulously crafted and blends beauty, legibility and versatility, a perfect combination for a broad range of applications, from small-sized text on mobile displays to billboard-sized ads that make a clear and distinctive statement.”
The Akko suite consists of two typeface families, Akko and Akko Rounded. Kobayashi set out with a singular objective during the design process that ultimately resulted in the two families. “I wanted to create a sans serif typeface with rounded corners,” he said. “Then I began to see a more ‘industrial’ design, with the straightforward feel of the DIN Next typeface but also with curved strokes and ‘soft’ proportions.” Akko is robust and structured, according to Kobayashi, while Akko Rounded is softer and friendly.
Akko, which takes its name from the first two letters of Kobayashi’s first and last names, represents a departure from Kobayashi’s collaborative work with legendary designers Hermann Zapf and Adrian Frutiger. For the past few years, he’s worked with both to modernize and reissue some of the most widely used and internationally celebrated designs, including reinterpretations of Zapf’s Optima and Palatino typefaces, and Frutiger’s Avenir and Frutiger designs.
The Akko and Akko Rounded families each contain six fonts that range from thin to black, all with complementary italics. Both families are available as OpenType Pro fonts, which support the ability to automatically insert small caps, ligatures, alternate characters and other typographic treatments. Pro fonts offer an extended character set that supports most Central European and many Eastern European languages.
Availability
Akko fonts can be viewed, purchased and downloaded