Ika Compact

For the strongest statements in the smallest space

Designed by Jörg Hemker as part of a superfamily along with Ika. The ideal symbiosis of American grotesque and classic European sans.

3 Styles
Rag
Rag
Rag

Once you’ve been in space, you appreciate how small and fragile the Earth is. — Валентина Владимировна Терешкова

Unless otherwise stated, the images used are subject to Unsplash licenses.

Ika Compact flies a little higher than its normal counterpart, which strives for optimal flight altitude.

While its sister consistently subordinates itself to the content of a text, the compact variant pushes more to the fore, but without losing the characteristic humanistic, constructed and geometric elements of its sibling. Ika’s extensive language support (expanded Latin range with Greek and Cyrillic alphabets) is still there, as well as its clarity, balance and timelessness.

Comparison: Ika’s and Ika Compact’s terminals

The similarities end with the glyphs and their contrast. They are significantly narrower and the contrast is less. The x-height is lower, the ascenders and descenders are shorter and the terminals are vertical. All of this results in an extreme compactness and a somewhat more decorative and striking character, but also a little more static character. What is actually intended for tight headlines works also well in small texts as well as in interface design, especially in call-to-action buttons and UI menus and the three widths are perfectly suited to such usage.

Ika Compact loves to be set in uppercase letters

Stylistically, Ika Compact moves in the direction of tightly running American grotesque fonts with a rational form principle such as Alternate Gothic or Trade Gothic. Thanks to its open forms and the distinguishable characters based on DIN 1450, it is more elegant, accessible and clearly legible. Although she sees herself primarily as a family member of the Ika family, the Ika Compact also plays out its strengths as a display font independently of her sister.

A
#65

Glyphs

Uppercase

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

Lowercase

a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
o
p
q
r
s
t
u
v
w
x
y
z

Latin Accents

Á
Ă
Â
Ä
À
Ā
Ą
Å
Ã
Æ
Ć
Č
Ç
Ĉ
Ċ
Ð
Ď
Đ
É
Ĕ
Ě
Ê
Ë
Ė
È
Ē
Ę
Ğ
Ĝ
Ģ
Ġ
Ħ
Ĥ
Í
Ĭ
Î
Ï
İ
Ì
Ī
Į
Ĩ
Ĵ
Ķ
Ĺ
Ľ
Ļ
Ŀ
Ł
Ń
Ň
Ņ
Ŋ
Ñ
Ó
Ŏ
Ô
Ö
Ò
Ő
Ō
Ø
Õ
Œ
Þ
Ŕ
Ř
Ŗ
Ś
Š
Ş
Ŝ
Ș
Ə
Ŧ
Ť
Ţ
Ț
Ú
Ŭ
Û
Ü
Ù
Ű
Ū
Ų
Ů
Ũ
Ŵ
Ý
Ŷ
Ÿ
Ź
Ž
Ż
á
ă
â
ä
à
ā
ą
å
ã
æ
ć
č
ç
ĉ
ċ
ð
ď
đ
é
ĕ
ě
ê
ë
ė
è
ē
ę
ğ
ĝ
ģ
ġ
ħ
ĥ
í
ĭ
î
ï
̇
ì
ī
į
ĩ
ĵ
ķ
ĺ
ľ
ļ
ŀ
ł
ń
ň
ņ
ŋ
ñ
ó
ŏ
ô
ö
ò
ő
ō
ø
õ
œ
þ
ŕ
ř
ŗ
ś
š
ş
ŝ
ș
ß
ə
ŧ
ť
ţ
ț
ú
ŭ
û
ü
ù
ű
ū
ų
ů
ũ
ŵ
ý
ŷ
ÿ
ź
ž
ż

Numerals & Currency Symbols

0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
¤
$
¢
£
¥
ƒ
(
)
+
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
=
a
e
n
o
ə
(
)
+
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
=
a
b
c
d
e
h
l
m
o
p
r
s
t
u
è

Punctuation

.
,
:
;
!
¡
?
¿
&
@
·
*
#
/
|
\
(
)
{
}
[
]
-
­
_
«
»
"
'

Mathematical Signs & Symbols

+
×
÷
=
>
<
±
~
¬
^
µ
%

Arrows & Shapes

Ligatures

ff
ffi
ffl
fft
ft
tt

Greek

Α
Β
Γ
Ε
Ζ
Η
Θ
Ι
Κ
Λ
Μ
Ν
Ξ
Ο
Π
Ρ
Σ
Τ
Υ
Φ
Χ
Ψ
Ά
Έ
Ή
Ί
Ό
Ύ
Ώ
Ϊ
Ϋ
α
β
γ
δ
ε
ζ
η
θ
ι
κ
λ
ν
ξ
ο
π
ρ
σ
τ
υ
φ
χ
ψ
ω
ί
ϊ
ΐ
ύ
ϋ
ΰ
ό
ώ
ά
έ
ή
·
΄
΅

Cyrillic

А
Б
В
Г
Ѓ
Ґ
Д
Е
Ѐ
Ё
Ж
З
И
Й
Ѝ
К
Ќ
Л
М
Н
О
П
Р
С
Т
У
Ў
Ф
Х
Ч
Ц
Ш
Щ
Џ
Ь
Ъ
Ы
Љ
Њ
Ѕ
Є
Э
І
Ї
Ј
Ћ
Ю
Я
Ђ
Ѣ
Ѳ
Ѵ
Ғ
Җ
Ҙ
Қ
Ҝ
Ҡ
Ң
Ҥ
Ҫ
Ү
Ұ
Ҳ
Ҷ
Ҹ
Һ
Ӏ
Ӂ
Ӑ
Ӕ
Ӗ
Ә
Ӣ
Ӧ
Ө
Ӯ
Ӳ
а
б
в
г
ѓ
ґ
д
е
ѐ
ё
ж
з
и
й
ѝ
к
ќ
л
м
н
о
п
р
с
т
у
ў
ф
х
ч
ц
ш
щ
џ
ь
ъ
ы
љ
њ
ѕ
є
э
і
ї
ј
ћ
ю
я
ђ
ѣ
ѳ
ѵ
ғ
җ
ҙ
қ
ҝ
ҡ
ң
ҥ
ҫ
ү
ұ
ҳ
ҷ
ҹ
һ
ӏ
ӂ
ӑ
ӕ
ӗ
ә
ӣ
ӧ
ө
ӯ
ӳ

Languages

Afrikaans
Albanian
Asu
Basque
Bemba
Bena
Breton
Catalan
Cornish
Croatian
Czech
Danish
Dutch
Embu
English
Esperanto
Estonian
Faroese
Filipino
Finnish
French
Friulian
Galician
Ganda
German
Gusii
Hungarian
Icelandic
Inari Sami
Indonesian
Irish
Italian
Jola-Fonyi
Kabuverdianu
Kalenjin
Kamba
Kikuyu
Kinyarwanda
Latvian
Lithuanian
Lower Sorbian
Luo
Luxembourgish
Luyia
Machame
Makhuwa-Meetto
Makonde
Malagasy
Maltese
Manx
Meru
Morisyen
North Ndebele
Northern Sami
Norwegian Bokmål
Norwegian Nynorsk
Nyankole
Oromo
Polish
Portuguese
Quechua
Romanian
Romansh
Rombo
Rundi
Rwa
Samburu
Sango
Sangu
Sena
Serbian
Shambala
Shona
Slovak
Slovenian
Soga
Somali
Spanish
Swahili
Swedish
Swiss German
Taita
Teso
Turkish
Upper Sorbian
Uzbek
Volapük
Vunjo
Walser
Welsh
Greek
Azerbaijani
Belarusian
Bosnian
Bulgarian
Chechen
Macedonian
Ossetic
Russian
Serbian
Ukrainian
Uzbek
Fonts in Use
Credits & Details
Design Contributions
  • Andreas Frohloff
  • Eugene Yukechev (Cyrillic consultancy)
Mastering, Production

Andreas Frohloff
Christoph Koeberlin

Marketing

Jörg Hemker (naming, graphic design)
Ivo Gabrowitsch (copywriting, specimen, imagery)
Lucy Beckley (English translation)
Anja Knust (imagery, graphic design)

Design Period
2017–2020
Release Date
July 20, 2020; Variable Fonts July 6, 2021
Awards

D&AD Awards 2021 Shortlist
2021 ADC Awards Merit
Modern Cyrillic 2021 Awards Shortlist

Recommended Use

Editorial & Publishing
Film & TV
Small Text
Software & Gaming
Wayfinding & Signage
Responsive Designs