Distressed Radel 2 is a bold, normal width, medium contrast, upright, tall x-height font.
Keywords: posters, title cards, album art, packaging, badges, gritty, handmade, vintage, ominous, raw, aged print, horror tone, diy energy, poster impact, texture-first, grunge, rough-edged, inked, blotchy, ragged contours.
The letterforms are heavy and compact with irregular, torn-looking contours and uneven internal counters that mimic ink spread or distressed printing. Strokes are chunky with subtly inconsistent terminals and edge chipping throughout, creating a strong texture at both display and paragraph sizes. Proportions lean condensed in places with a lively, uneven rhythm across characters, and the lowercase maintains a prominent x-height for a dense, assertive text color.
Best suited for display work where texture is part of the message: posters, title cards, album art, packaging, and event graphics. It also fits themed applications such as horror, Halloween, punk/garage, or retro pulp aesthetics, and can add a rugged tone to logos or badges when set at larger sizes. For longer text, it works most effectively in short bursts or pull quotes where its strong grain remains legible.
This font projects a gritty, handmade energy with a slightly ominous, retro edge. The rough texture reads as analog and imperfect, evoking worn printing, DIY signage, and genre-forward atmospheres. Overall, it feels expressive and attention-grabbing rather than neutral or polished.
The design appears intended to simulate distressed, analog letterpress or heavily inked, weathered type, prioritizing texture and mood over precision. Its uneven edges and slightly unstable rhythm suggest a goal of adding instant character and a tactile, worn patina to headlines and short passages.
The distressing is consistent across the set, with noticeable edge breakup on both straight stems and curves and occasional pinched joins that create a stamped, battered feel. Numerals match the same rugged texture and weight, supporting cohesive headline systems that mix text and figures.