Slab Square Hyly 9 is a very bold, narrow, high contrast, upright, normal x-height font visually similar to 'Handmade Gothic JNL' by Jeff Levine and 'MARLIN' by Komet & Flicker (names referenced only for comparison).
Keywords: posters, headlines, sports branding, signage, packaging, industrial, western, athletic, assertive, vintage, impact, retro display, brand stamp, poster type, blocky, angular, beveled, square serif, compact.
A compact, block-built display face with heavy verticals, squared slab-like serifs, and frequent chamfered corners that give many strokes an octagonal feel. Counters are generally small and rectangular, and joins stay crisp rather than rounded, creating a rigid, engineered rhythm. Uppercase forms lean on straight stems and flat terminals, while the lowercase maintains the same hard-edged construction with short ascenders/descenders and simplified bowls. Figures are similarly chunky and geometric, designed to read as solid silhouettes at large sizes.
Best suited to short, high-impact copy such as posters, headers, team or event branding, storefront-style signage, and bold packaging callouts. It holds up particularly well when set large, where the chamfered corners and slab terminals read as intentional detailing and the compact proportions maximize presence in limited space.
The overall tone is bold and no-nonsense, combining a utilitarian, industrial punch with cues associated with poster wood type and western or collegiate signage. Its sharp corners and stout serifs project toughness and authority rather than refinement, making the text feel emphatic and attention-grabbing.
The font appears designed to deliver maximum impact with a rigid, squared construction—echoing traditional display lettering and wood-type-inspired forms while keeping edges sharp and mechanical. Its primary goal is to create strong, confident titles and marks with a distinctly blocky, sign-paint-adjacent character.
The design’s strong rectangular counters and tight internal space can make similar shapes cluster in dense settings, so it benefits from generous tracking and ample size. The squared serifs and chamfers create a consistent stencil-like solidity across letters and numerals, producing clear, high-impact word shapes in headlines.