Distressed Nilad 13 is a bold, normal width, medium contrast, italic, short x-height font.
Keywords: posters, packaging, headlines, signage, book covers, vintage, rough-hewn, quirky, hand-inked, rustic, aged print, handmade feel, thematic display, texture emphasis, brushed, blotchy, worn, old-style, lively.
An italicized, serifed display face with chunky, brush-like strokes and visibly irregular contours. Terminals often swell and taper as if made with a loaded pen or rough printing, producing soft edge breakup and occasional ink blobs. The letterforms lean forward with uneven rhythm and variable stroke widths within and between glyphs, giving a lively, handmade texture. Counters are compact and sometimes partially pinched by heavy strokes, while capitals show broad, curved entry strokes and decorative, old-style serif cues.
Best suited for short-form display use such as posters, headlines, packaging labels, signage, and cover titling where the rough texture can be appreciated. It can work for themed pull quotes or section headers, but extended body copy may feel heavy and visually busy at smaller sizes due to the distressed stroke edges.
The overall tone feels vintage and tactile, with a weathered, hand-printed character that suggests age and materiality. Its energetic slant and imperfect edges add a playful, slightly mischievous personality, leaning toward rustic charm rather than polished formality.
The design appears intended to evoke imperfect printing or hand-inked lettering—combining an old-style italic silhouette with deliberately worn edges to create an expressive, period-leaning display voice.
In text settings the dark color builds quickly, especially in dense combinations, where the distressed edges and heavy joins create a deliberately noisy texture. Numerals follow the same calligraphic, uneven treatment and read as part of the same rough-ink system.