Slab Square Pona 3 is a bold, narrow, low contrast, upright, tall x-height font visually similar to 'Hockeynight Serif' by XTOPH (names referenced only for comparison).
Keywords: headlines, posters, sports branding, packaging, signage, industrial, collegiate, authoritative, utilitarian, retro, impact, compactness, ruggedness, athletic feel, octagonal, stenciled feel, blocky, square-shouldered, compact.
A compact slab-serif with heavy, squared-off serifs and largely uniform stroke weight. Curves are tightened into faceted, near-octagonal shapes (notably in C, G, O, Q, and numerals), giving the face a machined, cut-from-metal look. Counters are relatively small and apertures are restrained, while the overall rhythm stays steady and vertical with crisp, flat terminals and minimal modulation.
This design is well suited to short, high-impact settings such as headlines, posters, labels, and signage where a dense, sturdy texture is desirable. It can also support sports and team-style branding, badges, and merch applications that benefit from a compact, blocky slab-serif voice. In longer text, it will read best at larger sizes where the tight counters and faceted curves have room to breathe.
The font projects a rugged, no-nonsense tone—part workwear and signage, part vintage athletic lettering. Its hard corners and dense texture feel assertive and practical, with a slightly nostalgic, print-era seriousness rather than a delicate or bookish mood.
The letterforms suggest an intention to create a tough, space-efficient slab-serif optimized for display use, combining squared terminals with faceted curves for a mechanical, industrial flavor. The consistent weight and compact proportions aim for strong visibility and a stable typographic color across lines.
Uppercase forms are especially geometric and squared, while the lowercase maintains a similarly blocky construction with compact bowls and strong slab cues. Numerals follow the same faceted geometry, with squared contours that keep a consistent, sturdy color in text. The overall spacing reads tight and efficient, reinforcing a condensed, poster-forward presence.