Distressed Ihlon 17 is a regular weight, normal width, medium contrast, italic, normal x-height font.
Keywords: headlines, posters, packaging, book covers, branding, vintage, rugged, dramatic, hand-inked, craft, aged texture, historic flavor, handmade feel, display impact, wedge serif, roughened, chiseled, angular, calligraphic.
An italic, wedge-serif display face with a calligraphic, slightly irregular build and subtly varied character widths. Strokes show moderate contrast and a broad-nib feel, with pointed terminals and small, chiseled-looking notches that give edges a worn, rough-printed texture rather than a clean outline. Curves are taut and slightly angular (notably in bowls and the S), while diagonals and joins have a lively, hand-cut rhythm. Numerals follow the same slanted, wedge-terminal construction, with open counters and crisp, faceted joins.
Best suited to short-to-medium display settings where texture and a vintage edge are desirable: posters, book covers, editorial headlines, labels, and branding that aims for a crafted or antiquarian mood. It can work for pull quotes or short blurbs, but the strong slant and roughened detailing are most effective at larger sizes.
The overall tone reads historical and rugged, like inked signage or old book titling that has picked up wear over time. Its slant and sharp terminals add urgency and motion, while the roughened detailing contributes a gritty, tactile presence.
The design appears intended to evoke an old-world, hand-inked serif italic with intentionally weathered detailing, combining a traditional wedge-serif skeleton with a distressed, print-worn finish for expressive display typography.
The uppercase feels more formal and carved, while the lowercase leans more handwritten, producing an intentionally eclectic texture in mixed-case settings. In longer passages the pronounced slant and textured edges create a strong pattern, favoring impact over quiet neutrality.