I know a popular sans serif that is "secretly" in the process of being retro-fitted, but in general:

- sometimes the foundry or designer doesn't think of it

- sometimes the designer isn't interested, either because they think it doesn't make sense for the design, or because it is much more work to retrofit than to design it that way in the first place

- it is very rarely a legal issue, except when licensing from one foundry to another is involved. So for example it would be a legal issue for Foundry A to extend a typeface that they license from Foundry B.

Cheers,

T

Aren't these ones light enough?

You mentioned 'ultra-thin.' Perhaps it comes down to the foundry/designer thinking it wouldn't be financially viable to have such an extreme weight. One of the reasons I've licensed individual styles of Proxima Nova is that I doubt I'll ever have much use for the lighter weights. I don't know that there is a huge demand for 'ultra-thin' weights.

Thanks for your replies.
Thomas, I will look forward to the release of the mystery face you refer to.
Aaron, I appreciate your suggestions, but I'm really looking for something I can use at very large sizes that still looks good... when used at very large sizes, these "light" weights look clunky and horsey in my opinion.
The ultra light weights of Helvetica Neue and Avenir Next (to pick two examples) look really amazing.

Does anyone know how much a type designer would charge to do this job for me if I commissioned, say, a hairline or "ultra light" version of Futura or Avant Garde?

I have little interest in revivals, although I have done a few.
I certainly would not revive a well-known sans.
There is more room for an original interpretation in reviving a serif face.

I think you will find that there are many recent, new sans faces that are in the same genres as the faces that you mention, and which include Thin and Ultra Light weights. Why not use those?

I'm really looking for something I can use at very large sizes that still looks good... when used at very large sizes, these "light" weights look clunky and horsey in my opinion.

You should have a look at my Noir.

And yeah, they often look clunky and horsey and ... boring. I think to many type designers are horseshoing their types into a system (re: Univers) either by interpolating or by drawing a light, a regular and a black around the same rules and principles when they obviously have different needs. Looking at stuff up close will reveal it's inconsistencies, all the while text type is ALL about using those very inconsistencies too make even colour and rythm when viewed from a distance. Hello conflict!

how much

Rob, if you’d like to roughly specify the amount of glyphs to be done, contact me off-site for an estimate.

I too think it would be better to find something new (related: http://typophile.com/node/68295).

I don't know that there is a huge demand for 'ultra-thin' weights.

You'll never get a typeface family adopted by a women's or fashion magazine without "Ultra Thin" weights/

I can't even count the number of ultra thin extensions I've designed over the years for fashion magazines.

Agreeing too, especially since a number of re-interpretations of the classics have been made during the past years which make it unnecessary to even think of expanding the old stuff ...

Maybe one of these could do for you:
http://new.myfonts.com/fonts/ortizlopez/ol-hairline-gothic/
http://new.myfonts.com/fonts/marius-mitran/geometron-pro-angular/
http://new.myfonts.com/fonts/capearcona/ca-sensuell/

Tee Franklin is a really elegant re-interpretation of an American Gothic, providing us with hairline weights of some classics.

http://new.myfonts.com/fonts/suomi/tee-franklin/