Blackletter Kote 1 is a bold, very narrow, high contrast, upright, normal x-height font.
Keywords: posters, headlines, logotypes, album covers, tattoos, gothic, medieval, dramatic, aggressive, ornate, atmosphere, impact, heritage, edginess, display, angular, spiky, condensed, sharp terminals, chiselled.
A condensed, blackletter-inspired display face with tall, tightly packed proportions and emphatic vertical rhythm. Strokes alternate between heavy stems and razor-thin interior cuts, with wedge-like joins and sharply faceted terminals that read as carved or blade-edged. Curves are largely suppressed in favor of angular construction and broken bowls, producing crisp counters and irregular, calligraphic notches. The overall texture is dark and compact, with slightly uneven details that suggest hand-drawn or pen-cut intervention rather than purely geometric construction.
Best suited for short, prominent text where its dense texture and sharp detailing can read clearly—posters, headlines, signage, packaging accents, and branding marks. It works particularly well for genre-forward applications such as music artwork, event titles, or anything aiming for a medieval or dark ceremonial tone. For longer passages, larger sizes and generous tracking help preserve legibility.
The letterforms project a Gothic, medieval mood with a forceful, theatrical presence. Its sharp edges and dense color feel stern and ceremonial, leaning toward ominous, rebellious, or metal-adjacent aesthetics. The ornamented cuts add a handcrafted severity that reads as historic yet confrontational.
The design appears intended to deliver a compact, high-impact blackletter voice with a hand-cut, dramatic edge. Its narrow build and faceted terminals prioritize atmosphere and presence over neutrality, aiming to create instant stylistic signaling in display contexts.
The capitals are especially tall and narrow, creating a rigid skyline, while the lowercase maintains a similarly compressed stance with pointed ascenders and occasional flick-like protrusions. Numerals follow the same blackletter logic with angular bowls and narrow widths, keeping the set visually consistent. The font’s strong vertical emphasis makes spacing and word-shape feel tight and rhythmic, especially in all-caps settings.