Serif Other Toba 9 is a bold, very narrow, medium contrast, upright, normal x-height font.
Keywords: posters, headlines, packaging, book covers, branding, vintage, theatrical, gothic, quirky, folkloric, display impact, vintage tone, dramatic flavor, compact set, flared, tapered, beaked, spurred, condensed.
A condensed decorative serif with tall, narrow proportions and a strong vertical rhythm. Strokes show pronounced tapering and flare, with beak-like terminals and sharp spur details that create a chiseled, engraved feel. Serifs are small but expressive, often wedgey or hooked rather than purely bracketed, and counters are tight, contributing to a compact, punchy texture. Uppercase forms are stately and columnar, while lowercase introduces more idiosyncratic shapes (notably in letters like a, g, k, and t), adding a handcrafted irregularity within a consistent system.
Best suited to display typography where its distinctive terminals and condensed rhythm can carry personality—such as posters, headline systems, book or album covers, and packaging. It can work for short editorial callouts or pull quotes when set with extra spacing, but its dense texture is more effective for titles than for long passages at small sizes.
The overall tone feels old-world and performative—suggesting antique signage, storybook dramatics, and a touch of gothic eccentricity. Its narrow stance and pointed detailing give it a slightly ominous, mysterious edge, while the quirky terminals keep it lively rather than severe.
The design appears intended to deliver a compact, attention-grabbing serif voice with an antique, engraved character. Its consistent narrow proportions paired with animated, beaked terminals suggest a focus on expressive display impact over neutral text utility.
In text, the condensed width and tight apertures create a dense color that reads best with generous tracking and line spacing. Numerals match the narrow, high-contrast silhouette and carry the same tapered, spurred finishing, making them visually cohesive for display settings.