Distressed Arpu 3 is a regular weight, very narrow, high contrast, italic, very short x-height font.
Keywords: posters, album art, apparel, packaging, headlines, handwritten, edgy, grunge, energetic, casual, handmade feel, gritty texture, high impact, informal voice, brushy, scratchy, rough, gestural, expressive.
A condensed, right-leaning handwritten face with brush-pen construction and visibly dry, broken edges. Strokes show pronounced contrast between heavier downstrokes and lighter hairlines, with frequent tapering terminals and occasional ink skips that create a textured, worn impression. Letterforms are loosely cursive in rhythm but mostly unconnected, with simplified counters and brisk, angular joins; capitals are tall and slightly flamboyant while the lowercase stays compact, reinforcing the small x-height. Overall spacing is tight and lively, with slight irregularities in stroke finish and width that read as intentional hand pressure rather than geometric precision.
Best suited to display use where its brush texture and condensed energy can carry the message—posters, event promos, album/playlist covers, apparel graphics, and punchy packaging callouts. It also works for short social graphics, quotes, or title treatments where a rough, hand-done voice is desired; for longer text, the narrow proportions and small x-height suggest using generous size and line spacing.
The tone is raw and spontaneous—more street-poster and notebook marginalia than polished calligraphy. The distressed brush texture adds grit and urgency, lending a contemporary, rebellious feel while still remaining readable in short phrases.
The design appears aimed at delivering a fast, hand-painted signature look with deliberate wear and ink drag, combining expressive brush movement with a compact footprint for impactful headlines.
Numerals and capitals keep the same dry-brush texture and steep slant, helping mixed-case settings feel cohesive. The texture becomes a stronger visual feature at larger sizes, where the feathered edges and stroke breaks read as part of the personality rather than noise.