Lateral
Schick Toikka · Florian Schick, Lauri Toikka
A 98-style neo-grotesque superfamily across seven widths and seven weights, with a variable font controlling width, weight and slant via 56 masters.
About
Lateral is Schick Toikka's first variable family, conceived for the format from the start. The widest width takes up more than five times the space of the narrowest, and all curves share a flat section at their extremes that becomes increasingly visible the further the width axis is pushed, yielding straight-sided rounds at the compressed end and wide horizontals at the expanded end. The systematic approach echoes Frutiger's Univers and his cut-and-shift technique, and gives every line a slightly boxy, brutalist edge. The variable font drives three axes (width, weight, slant) from 56 meticulously drawn masters; the static range is a 98-style workhorse spanning seven widths in seven weights with upright and italic variants. Middle widths handle all-purpose typesetting; the extreme widths are made for display.
Classification
Schick Toikka describe Lateral as a contemporary superfamily revolving around sideways expansion, naming it after the Latin lateralis. They cite Adrian Frutiger's Univers and his cut-and-shift technique, and note that Lateral is the foundry's first variable font family, conceived for the format from the start; all curves have a flat section at their extremes which becomes more visible as widths expand.