Slab Contrasted Piho 9 is a very bold, wide, low contrast, upright, normal x-height font visually similar to 'Archer' by Hoefler & Co., 'Equip Slab' by Hoftype, 'Glance Slab' by Identity Letters, 'Newslab' by Latinotype, and 'Paul Slab' and 'Paul Slab Soft' by artill (names referenced only for comparison).
Keywords: headlines, posters, packaging, sports branding, signage, assertive, athletic, retro, friendly, industrial, impact, authority, visibility, heritage, blocky, bracketed, chunky, rounded, sturdy.
A heavy, slab-serif design with broad proportions and a compact, block-driven construction. Serifs are prominent and mostly squared with subtle bracketing, creating strong horizontal terminals and a stable baseline. Curves are full and rounded (notably in C, G, O, S, and the bowls of a/b/p), while joins and corners stay crisp, producing a confident, poster-like rhythm. Counters are relatively open for the weight, and the numerals follow the same chunky, geometric logic with smooth bowls and firm slabs.
This font is well suited to headlines and short-form messaging where impact is the priority—posters, storefront and wayfinding signage, sports or collegiate-style branding, and bold packaging labels. It can also work for pull quotes and section headers, but the heavy color may feel dense for long passages.
The overall tone is bold and no-nonsense, with a vintage American display flavor that reads as sporty and hardworking. Its thick slabs and wide stance feel confident and attention-grabbing, while the rounded bowls keep it approachable rather than severe.
The design appears intended to deliver maximum presence with a classic slab-serif structure: strong stems, emphatic serifs, and rounded bowls that preserve legibility while projecting a rugged, energetic personality.
In the sample text the dense weight and large serifs create strong texture and emphasis, especially in mixed-case lines. The design’s wide forms and chunky slabs suggest best performance at larger sizes where internal counters and letter spacing can breathe.