Blackletter Gafu 3 is a regular weight, normal width, high contrast, reverse italic, normal x-height font.
Keywords: headlines, logos, packaging, posters, album art, medieval, gothic, ceremonial, authoritative, dramatic, historical flavor, display impact, calligraphic texture, brand voice, angular, pointed, wedge serifs, broken strokes, calligraphic.
This typeface uses a broken-stroke construction with sharp angles, faceted joins, and pronounced wedge-like terminals. Strokes show strong thick–thin modulation, with many letterforms built from verticals and diagonals that end in crisp, chiseled points rather than soft curves. Counters are compact and often triangular or teardrop-shaped, and the overall rhythm is dark and textured, especially in lowercase where repeated verticals create a dense pattern. Capitals are more elaborate and asymmetric, with hooked entry strokes and angular bowls that emphasize a carved, manuscript-like structure.
Best suited for headlines, titles, and short passages where a historic or gothic atmosphere is desired. It can work well for branding and marks in contexts like craft goods, beverages, games, events, or entertainment materials where a strong period flavor and high visual impact are priorities.
The tone is historic and ceremonial, evoking illuminated manuscripts, heraldic inscriptions, and old-world craft. Its sharpness and dense rhythm give it a commanding, dramatic voice that feels formal and slightly severe.
The design appears intended to translate broad-nib blackletter calligraphy into a crisp, high-contrast digital form, prioritizing texture, drama, and period authenticity over neutral readability. It aims to deliver a distinctive, emblematic voice for display typography while maintaining consistent construction across capitals, lowercase, and numerals.
Legibility is strongest at display sizes where the interior cuts and contrast can resolve cleanly; in smaller settings the compact counters and dense vertical pattern can visually close up. Numerals follow the same calligraphic, faceted logic, mixing pointed terminals with a slightly more open, inscriptional stance.