Distressed Rolus 8 is a bold, narrow, high contrast, upright, normal x-height font visually similar to 'Motorway' by K-Type, 'PG Gothique' and 'PG Grotesque' by Paulo Goode, 'Ordina' by Schriftlabor, and 'Nu Sans' by Typecalism Foundryline (names referenced only for comparison).
Keywords: posters, headlines, branding, packaging, labels, grunge, vintage, industrial, rugged, hand-printed, add texture, evoke print, signal toughness, create impact, condensed, stencil-like, inked, textured, roughened.
A condensed, all-caps–friendly display sans with sturdy, blocky construction and squared shoulders. Strokes are heavy with noticeable contrast driven by tapered joins and slightly uneven stroke width, producing a hand-inked rhythm rather than a purely geometric feel. Edges and counters show deliberate distressing—chipped corners, worn interiors, and patchy ink traps—creating a consistent rough-print texture across letters and numerals. Spacing is fairly tight and vertical, with compact bowls and straight-sided forms that keep lines looking dense and poster-ready.
Best suited for short, high-impact text such as poster headlines, album or event graphics, brand marks, product labels, and packaging callouts where a gritty printed character is desirable. It can work in brief subheads or pull quotes, but the distressing and tight proportions make it less ideal for long-form reading at small sizes.
The overall tone is tough and utilitarian, evoking worn signage, stamped packaging, and screen-printed ephemera. Its distressed texture adds grit and attitude, making the voice feel aged, imperfect, and tactile rather than polished.
This design appears intended to deliver a compact, assertive display voice with a deliberately weathered finish, simulating imperfect ink coverage and worn letterforms for a tactile, analog impression.
Uppercase forms carry the strongest personality, while the lowercase maintains the same condensed proportions and worn detailing for cohesive mixed-case setting. Numerals are similarly compact and sturdy, reading best at medium-to-large sizes where the texture remains intentional rather than noisy.