Serif Humanist Ohba 3 is a regular weight, normal width, high contrast, upright, short x-height font.
Keywords: book text, editorial, literature, magazines, branding, classic, literary, scholarly, old-world, warm, warm readability, classic tone, print tradition, calligraphic feel, bracketed, calligraphic, flared, lively, texty.
This serif has a calligraphic, old-style skeleton with clearly bracketed serifs and a noticeably modulated stroke. Curves feel softly drawn rather than rigidly geometric, with gentle swelling through bowls and tapered joins that create an active rhythm. Capitals are sturdy and traditional, while the lowercase shows compact proportions with a relatively small x-height and crisp, open counters. Numerals and punctuation follow the same drawn, slightly irregular-in-a-good-way texture, maintaining a consistent, readable color across text.
It suits long-form reading such as book interiors, essays, and editorial layouts where a traditional serif texture is desired. The sturdy capitals and distinctive modulation also work well for pull quotes, section heads, and heritage-leaning branding that benefits from a timeless, printed voice.
The overall tone is classic and bookish, with an old-world warmth that suggests printed literature and editorial tradition. Its lively modulation and slightly handcrafted finish keep it from feeling sterile, adding a human, narrative quality to headings and passages alike.
The design appears intended to reinterpret classic old-style forms with a visible calligraphic hand, balancing traditional proportions with enough stroke energy to stay engaging in continuous reading.
Stroke endings often taper into the serifs, and several letters show subtly flared terminals that enhance the pen-influenced feel. The rhythm in the sample text stays even and comfortable at text sizes, with clear word shapes and a traditional, familiar texture.