Lapture is based on the Leipziger Antiqua by Albert Kapr, released in 1971 by the East German foundry Typoart. It has been extended and carefully redesigned by Tim Ahrens in 2002-05. The strong calligraphic characteristics are a result of the design process: The size of the counters and the width of individual characters at small optical sizes were analysed with a steel pen while the letter shapes were designed in larger size with a specially trimmed reed pen. Sometimes the hand is more innovative than the head alone, says Kapr. A unique feature of this font is the introduction of gothic shapes into a latin typeface. The basic concept is to string together narrow white hexagons as counters and inter-letter spaces, defined by vertical stems and triangular serifs. The interior spaces are at least as important as the strokes that make up the characters. Lapture is an ideal choice if a reference to gothic style is desired, as true black letter types are often too eye-catching and not as legible as latin fonts for unfamiliar readers. The last few years have seen a number of very elegant typefaces based on the mellow and feminine renaissance model. However, sometimes we require a font that is strong and robust, harmonic yet rigid, says designer Tim Ahrens.