Distressed Teha 7 is a light, narrow, medium contrast, reverse italic, short x-height font.
Keywords: horror titles, gothic packaging, book covers, posters, game ui, eerie, antique, handcrafted, storybook, mysterious, evoke age, add texture, create tension, thematic display, handmade feel, rough, weathered, spiky, inked, organic.
A distressed display serif with wiry, irregular strokes and subtly flared terminals that feel inked and worn. Letterforms show uneven contours and rough edges, with occasional spur-like protrusions and slight waviness that mimics degraded printing or scratchy pen work. Proportions are compact and tall in the caps, while the lowercase stays relatively small with a modest x-height and narrow counters; curves (like C, O, and S) are slightly pinched and imperfect, reinforcing the handmade rhythm. Numerals are similarly narrow and upright, with simple, slightly lopsided bowls and angled joins that keep the texture consistent across the set.
Best suited to short bursts of text—titles, chapter heads, pull quotes, and branding moments—where the distressed texture can be appreciated. It works particularly well for horror and mystery posters, gothic or apothecary-style packaging, book covers, and thematic game or film graphics that benefit from an aged, unsettling voice.
The overall tone is darkly whimsical—part old book, part occult ephemera—conveying a moody, archaic atmosphere without becoming fully blackletter. Its roughened texture and spindly elegance suggest mystery, folklore, and aged artifacts, giving text a tense, cinematic edge.
The design intention appears to be a readable, narrow display face that channels antique printing and hand-inked imperfection through controlled distressing. It aims to balance legibility with atmosphere, adding grit and narrative character while retaining a consistent serifed structure.
Spacing appears intentionally uneven in feel due to the varying stroke rag and irregular sidebearings implied by the sample, creating a lively, jittery line. Strong vertical emphasis and sharp internal corners help it hold together at display sizes, while the distressed perimeter detail becomes the dominant feature as sizes increase.