hmm, not a very inspired suggestion, but Futura ND condensed has SCOSF (in the form of an expert font i believe).

http://www.monotype.co.uk/Neufville/pdf/FunCLgSC.pdf

not sure about pricing.

Thanks for the suggestion. Like Avenir Next, though, I'm not sure whether Futura would harmonise well with Charter.

Since posting I've found another candidate - Fedra Sans Condensed. This is v. nice but sadly out of the range of what I consider 'affordable'.

M

Metroflex from Garagefonts is a candidate,
but not sure if it's a contender.

http://www.garagefonts.com/

Has anyone used Metreoflex for anything? I don't know whether I would ever have a use for it.

I've been having ball with Stefan Hattenbach's terrific Sophisto.
It comes with all the trimmings and the Sophisticons are a treat.
And at US$ 135 for 21 fonts (!) it's a steal! You can't go wrong
with this family.

Trust me on this, and if you don't, ask Stephen Coles.

> Has anyone used Metroflex for anything? I don't
> know whether I would ever have a use for it.

Our local MTV is currently using it for their visual identity.
I think it is a very competent typeface, in its genre (industrial-cold-geometric, like DIN or Conduit).

Yeah, I like Metroflex. Definitely one to consider. I'm not so sure about Sophisto: some elements, such as the open '4', jar on me. The price is good though. (But I can get the John Sans Family of 72 fonts for $284!).

Thanks for the great ideas.

M

Yves, how do you compare Sophisto and Apex Sans? They seem to have a similar concept, though Apex Sans is somewhat smoother. By the way Apex Sans does have small caps and old style figures - in the link.

What about Meta?

Does Meta Condensed have small caps? I'm looking but I don't seem them.

I see though that FF Eureka Sans Condensed has SC/OSF, plus FF Fago Condensed and FF Signa Condensed. So lots more choice.

M

I see what you mean! According to the blurb Meta Condensed is only 12% narrower than Meta Regular, which is itself 12% narrower than a 'normal' sans.

But isn't Meta a bit over-used, a bit '90s'? (Not that I'm particularly fashion-conscious, but I'd like a face that dates well, like Charter.)

Cheers

M

FF Eureka Sans Condensed includes small caps.
As do FF Fago Condensed and FF Signa Condensed.

I would be wary of Apex. The heavier weights
suffer from severe counter cloggage.

And yes, I concur with Yves on Sophisto. Though
it may be a tad idiosyncratic for your purposes.

I would definitely look at Meta. I know it is over-used. But for the sort of thing you are talking about (lots of information at small sizes) it really does shine, and it's got plenty of weights, different kind of figures and so on. It's not as if you are going to be using it for masses of text, or for "corporate identity" purposes or anything. I use it a lot for purposes like yours, and have had positive typographic feedback from colleagues who don't normally notice fonts at all, of the "What is that nice font" sort. That might be a bad sign, of course, but at least they don't think its Arial.

I haven't ever paired it with Charter, but i don't see why it shouldn't work pretty well, and it might be better than Franklin (which is hardly an under-used type itself).

>over-used

It may be over used by designers, but not as a font seen by the public in the US anyway. It is just now becoming quite common. I agree that it is also very good. You could also consider FF Unit, a bit more rigid version of Meta, which does have small caps.

I will definitely look at Meta. If people can distinguish it from Arial - well, that's a major plus point. No one has ever commented on my current sans serif, Praxis

I've since found another candidate: Linotype Textra. Does anyone have any thoughts on this, or experience in using it? It seems v. nice and clear at small sizes.

Thanks

M

I don't see where you ever mentioned Praxis, Matthew.

I do like Textra, thanks for bringing it to my attention. First I've
ever seen it, I think. That may be due to the fact that I don't see
it at any of Linotype's sublicensees. Not very condensed though.

Suitcase Atrament

Perhaps I should have mentioned that my standard text pairing is Charter/Praxis. Problem is, Praxis is not condensed, and although Praxis Light sets quite tightly it's not ideal for tables. So I'm looking for something to replace it, preferably in the condensed line.

Cheers

M

Slightly off-topic as this font has small caps, and has condensed, but not condensed small caps (from what I can tell). Ever since picking up the FF Strada specimen book at Typecon I've been itching to get my hands on it. Has anyone used it? It has that rare combination of legibility at small sizes and beauty in display, and I mean beauty. Bravo Albert Pinggera.

Randy

Dan - I don't have her yet, but we are courting.