Slab Contrasted Ishi 9 is a very bold, narrow, medium contrast, upright, normal x-height font visually similar to 'OL Contact Classic' by Dennis Ortiz-Lopez, 'Derpache' by Edignwn Type, and 'FTY SKORZHEN' by The Fontry (names referenced only for comparison).
Keywords: posters, headlines, packaging, signage, logotypes, western, vintage, confident, rugged, assertive, impact, nostalgia, branding, authority, bracketed, blocky, compact, poster-like, ink-trap feel.
A heavy slab serif with compact proportions and strong, rectangular serifs that read as bracketed and firmly attached. Strokes show noticeable but controlled contrast, with thick verticals and slightly finer joins that keep counters open at display sizes. Curves are robust and somewhat squared-off, and terminals are blunt, giving the alphabet a carved, poster-optimized look. The lowercase maintains a traditional, readable structure with a sturdy double-storey a and a prominent, rounded g, while figures are dense and emphatic with stable footing.
Best suited to display applications where a dense, commanding voice is needed—posters, headlines, labels, and signage. It can work for short subheads and pull quotes when set with generous leading, but its heavy color and compact width make it less ideal for long-form text at smaller sizes.
The overall tone is bold and old-timey, evoking classic storefront signage, headline printing, and workwear branding. It feels confident and grounded, with a touch of frontier or circus-poster character without becoming overly decorative. The weight and slab forms create a strong, no-nonsense presence suited to attention-grabbing messaging.
The design appears intended to deliver maximum impact in a compact footprint, pairing traditional slab-serif structure with a bold, print-poster sensibility. It aims for legibility at large sizes while projecting a nostalgic, hardworking character appropriate for branding and headline typography.
Spacing appears designed for impact: letters sit tightly and create a dark, even texture in words, especially in all caps. Distinctive shapes like the strong, circular bowls and the sturdy, slabby joins reinforce a consistent, stamped or printed rhythm across the set.