‘Helvetica Now Variable’ Brings A Million Ways To Use Helvetica In Just 1 File

By Alexa Heah, 15 Jul 2021

Image via Monotype / Business Wire

Monotype has introduced ‘Helvetica Now’ Variable, a new state-of-the-art font file offering over a million Helvetica Now styles.

Following the release of Helvetica Now in 2019, the new Variable font allows designers to mix and match different weights, optical sizes, and new compressed and condensed widths to their fancy.

As most people shifted to home offices during the pandemic, the type foundry realized the need for smaller, faster fonts that would load quicker on the web. The new Helvetica Now Variable font does just this, allowing users both flexibility in design and expression while ensuring improved digital performance as well.

The main draw of the Helvetica New Variable font is that designers will no longer need to download and access separate files for each style. With one tidy package, users can now move through the entire Helvetica Now sequence, even customizing their own variations of the font at a fraction of the file size. It also enables designers to work with different width axes for responsible web design, such as smartphone screens or smartwatch dials.

“Making a Variable font with three axes, nine master drawings, compatible outline nodes, and clean interpolations is no small feat. From the tail of a small ‘a’ to rarely-used reference marks, we discussed every detail, corrected, and tested extensively. The result is an amazing modern design tool and a new chapter in the illustrious Helvetica story,” said Friedrich Althausen, Type Designer at Monotype.

Helvetica Now Variable Pro Roman and Pro Italic are available for US$299 each. The complete Helvetica Now Variable Family Pack is also available for US$499. Users can choose to purchase the Family Pack through MyFonts, at an introductory promotion of 60% off till August 27.