Distressed Kode 2 is a bold, normal width, medium contrast, upright, normal x-height font.
Keywords: posters, album art, horror, zines, headlines, grunge, tattered, noisy, raw, punk, add texture, evoke wear, create grit, signal diy, roughened, ragged, eroded, inked, blocky.
A heavy, compact sans with softly squared, block-like proportions and strongly irregular, torn-looking contours. Strokes are thick and fairly even, while edges wobble and chip as if from worn stencils, rough printing, or degraded ink. Counters are partially uneven and sometimes pinched, giving letters a mottled texture without fully collapsing the interior shapes. Overall rhythm is lively and uneven, with small width fluctuations and slightly inconsistent terminals that enhance the distressed effect while keeping the alphabet recognizable.
Works best for display typography where texture is an asset: posters, event promos, album/mixtape art, game or film titles, and zine-style layouts. It can also support packaging or branding accents for gritty, industrial, or alternative themes, especially in short headlines and badges rather than long reading.
The texture reads gritty and analog, suggesting abrasion, decay, and noise rather than polish. It carries a DIY, underground energy—more rebellious and tactile than refined—suited to designs that want visible friction and edge.
The design appears intended to deliver a bold, readable sans structure while foregrounding an intentionally degraded surface. Its goal is to look printed, weathered, and tactile—capturing the feel of rough reproduction and distressed materials without sacrificing basic letterform clarity.
At larger sizes the torn contour detail becomes a defining feature; at smaller sizes the texture may merge into a darker silhouette, so generous tracking and contrastive backgrounds can help preserve legibility. Numerals and uppercase share the same rough perimeter treatment, creating a consistent, poster-forward voice across mixed-case settings.