Stencil Efso 16 is a very bold, narrow, medium contrast, upright, normal x-height font.
Keywords: posters, headlines, signage, packaging, labels, industrial, utilitarian, military, retro, impact, marking, utility, heritage, slab serif, bracketed, ink-trap, chunky, condensed.
A heavy, condensed stencil serif with chunky slabs and compact proportions. Strokes are robust with modest contrast, and many letters feature rounded interior corners and subtle ink-trap-like notches that soften joins. Clear stencil bridges interrupt bowls and diagonals, creating consistent breaks across uppercase, lowercase, and numerals while preserving strong silhouette recognition. Terminals are mostly squared and weighty, with bracketed serif transitions that give the face a sturdy, poster-ready rhythm.
Best suited to display typography where impact and texture matter: posters, headlines, signage, labels, and bold packaging. It also works well for branding that wants an industrial or military-inspired voice, especially in short lines and large sizes where the stencil breaks become a defining graphic feature.
The overall tone is rugged and functional, recalling shipping marks, equipment labeling, and wartime or workwear graphics. Its bold, cut-out construction feels authoritative and practical, with a slightly vintage edge that reads as classic industrial signage rather than sleek modern minimalism.
The design appears intended to deliver maximum visual punch in a condensed footprint while clearly communicating a stencil construction for practical, utilitarian associations. It balances robust serif structure with deliberate cutouts to evoke durable marking systems and industrial print methods.
The stencil gaps are prominent but carefully placed, so counters stay open and legibility remains strong at display sizes. Round letters like O/Q and numerals like 0/6/9 emphasize the cut-out feel through repeated bridge placement, adding a cohesive, mechanical cadence across the set.