Distressed Nilav 9 is a regular weight, wide, medium contrast, upright, normal x-height font.
Keywords: posters, packaging, headlines, labels, signage, vintage, rugged, rustic, informal, utilitarian, aged print, authenticity, texture, retro tone, slab serif, inked, roughened, textured, blunted.
A roughened slab-serif text face with sturdy, wide-set proportions and softly blunted terminals. Strokes show moderate contrast and an uneven, ink-worn edge treatment that creates a speckled, slightly eroded silhouette. Serifs are prominent and bracketed, with a generally upright posture and a steady baseline, while widths and internal counters vary enough to keep the texture lively in running text. Numerals and capitals share the same distressed imprint, producing a consistent, print-worn color across sizes.
Well suited to headlines and short blocks of text where a worn, tactile look is desired, such as posters, packaging, product labels, and rustic signage. It can also work for editorial callouts or titling when a vintage, printed texture is more important than crisp neutrality.
The overall tone is vintage and workmanlike, suggesting well-used printing, stamped labels, or aged signage. Its rough texture reads as approachable and hands-on rather than refined, with a rugged character that feels nostalgic and slightly gritty.
The design appears intended to evoke an older, analog printing aesthetic through sturdy slab-serif construction paired with deliberate edge wear. Its goal is to deliver readable forms while adding character and atmosphere via consistent distressing and a slightly irregular rhythm.
The distressing is integrated into the letterforms rather than applied as isolated noise, so the texture stays coherent across glyphs. At larger sizes the edge detail becomes a defining feature, while at smaller sizes it compresses into a darker, more weathered typographic color.