Slab Contrasted Onso 8 is a bold, very narrow, medium contrast, upright, normal x-height font.
Keywords: posters, headlines, signage, packaging, logos, western, circus, poster, retro, stamped, impact, heritage, showmanship, space-saving, texture, tall, condensed, blocky, bracketed, ink-trap.
A tall, tightly set display face with heavy, compact letterforms and assertive slab-like terminals. Strokes are generally straight and vertical, with rounded corners and small scooped notches at joins and inside corners that create an ink-trap or cutout effect. Counters are relatively narrow, and many glyphs show chunky, squared-off shoulders and feet that read like bracketed slabs. The overall rhythm is strong and vertical, with sturdy numerals and uppercase forms designed to hold shape at larger sizes.
Best suited for display work where a strong vertical presence is needed: posters, event graphics, storefront-style signage, packaging titles, and logo wordmarks. The condensed proportions make it useful when space is limited, while the cut-in detailing rewards larger sizes and high-contrast applications.
The cut-in details and bold, condensed stance evoke classic American poster lettering—part western wood type, part circus handbill. It feels theatrical and slightly rugged, with a stamped/printed personality that suggests show signage and headline-driven graphics.
Likely drawn to emulate condensed wood-type and early poster faces, prioritizing impact and character over neutral text readability. The carved notches and slabby terminals appear intended to add period flavor and print-like texture while keeping the forms sturdy in bold settings.
The design’s internal notches add texture and help differentiate similar shapes in a dense setting, while also giving the silhouettes a distinctive, carved look. Uppercase has a particularly commanding presence, and the lowercase maintains the same structural voice with simple, robust forms.