Distressed Kemo 5 is a very bold, normal width, medium contrast, italic, normal x-height font visually similar to 'Gotham' by Hoefler & Co., 'EquipCondensed' by Hoftype, 'Fact' by ParaType, and 'Eastman Condensed' by Zetafonts (names referenced only for comparison).
Keywords: posters, headlines, logos, album covers, merch, gritty, retro, loud, playful, rough, add grit, evoke vintage, create impact, handmade feel, brushy, inked, blunted, choppy, textured.
A heavy, forward-leaning display face with chunky, brush-like strokes and noticeably rough, broken edges. Letterforms are compact and slightly irregular, with blunted terminals, uneven stroke boundaries, and small nicks that suggest worn printing or dry-brush inking. Counters tend to be tight and organic, and the overall rhythm is energetic rather than geometric, giving the alphabet a hand-made, press-texture consistency across caps, lowercase, and numerals.
Best suited for high-impact applications such as posters, headlines, branding marks, packaging callouts, and entertainment or music-related graphics where texture is desirable. It performs especially well at medium to large sizes, where the rough edges and inky character can be appreciated without compromising clarity.
The texture and slanted stance create a bold, rebellious tone that feels vintage and streetwise, with a playful bite. It reads like hand-inked signage or distressed poster lettering—confident, loud, and intentionally imperfect.
The design appears intended to deliver an assertive, hand-made display voice with built-in wear and grit, evoking printed ephemera and brush-lettered signage. Its goal is to add character and urgency to short text while maintaining a cohesive, repeatable texture.
The distressed contouring is present on nearly every glyph, producing a consistent “scuffed” silhouette that becomes more pronounced at larger sizes. The numerals match the same chunky, ink-worn construction, supporting unified titling and short numeric callouts.