Distressed Nibun 13 is a regular weight, normal width, medium contrast, upright, short x-height font.
Keywords: posters, headlines, packaging, signage, book covers, vintage, rugged, handmade, rustic, old-timey, aged print, letterpress feel, heritage tone, analog texture, rugged display, rough edges, inky, worn print, organic, textured.
A serifed, print-like design with uneven, eroded contours that mimic inky letterpress or worn type. Strokes show subtly lumpy thickness and irregular terminals, with small notches and soft, blunted corners replacing crisp joins. The proportions are compact and slightly narrow-feeling in places, with modest ascenders and a noticeably short x-height, giving lowercase a squat, sturdy presence. Overall rhythm is steady and legible, but the distressed texture introduces lively micro-variation across glyphs and along vertical stems and serifs.
Works well for display settings that benefit from texture—posters, cover titles, labels, menus, and branding with a heritage or workshop aesthetic. It can also serve short passages or pull quotes when you want a readable serif voice with a deliberately rough, analog finish.
The font projects a vintage, utilitarian tone—like aged signage, old bookwork, or stamped packaging—balancing straightforward readability with a tactile, timeworn character. Its roughened edges add grit and authenticity, lending an archival or handcrafted feel rather than a polished contemporary voice.
The design appears intended to simulate the imperfections of traditional printing—ink spread, worn sorts, or weathered stamping—while keeping classic serif skeletons intact for dependable readability. It aims to provide a ready-made aged texture without requiring additional effects.
Serifs read as slab-leaning and blunt, often breaking up at the tips, which reinforces the worn-print impression. Counters remain generally open, so the texture tends to live on the outer silhouette more than inside the forms, helping paragraphs stay coherent even as the edges look distressed.