Slab Square Joly 2 is a bold, normal width, high contrast, upright, normal x-height font.
Keywords: headlines, posters, signage, branding, packaging, industrial, western, poster, retro, rugged, display impact, vintage texture, rugged tone, signage feel, blocky, octagonal, bracketless, stenciled, textured.
A chunky, square-shouldered slab serif with octagonal corners and flat, unbracketed terminals. Strokes are heavy and strongly contrasted, with crisp right angles and clipped diagonals that give many glyphs a sign-painter, wood-type feel. Several characters show intentional internal distressing/engraved-like texture, creating irregular counters and a worn-in surface. Proportions lean compact in the lowercase, while uppercase forms read sturdy and architectural, producing a firm, rhythmic color in lines of text.
Best suited for display settings such as headlines, posters, signage, and logo/brand marks where the bold slabs and clipped geometry can carry impact. It also fits packaging and label-style applications that benefit from a vintage, workwear or western-inspired voice, especially when used at sizes large enough for the distressed details to remain legible.
The overall tone is rugged and assertive, evoking vintage posters, frontier signage, and industrial labeling. The distressed interior detailing adds a handcrafted, weathered character that feels tactile and slightly rebellious rather than polished or corporate.
The design appears intended to blend a square slab serif structure with octagonal, sign-like shaping and a purposeful distressed finish. The goal is likely to deliver high-impact display typography with a nostalgic, rugged personality and a tactile, printed or worn texture.
Spacing and widths vary noticeably across glyphs, which enhances a lively, display-oriented rhythm. Numerals and capitals appear especially suited to headline work where the clipped corners and slab terminals can read clearly, while the distressed texture becomes a defining stylistic element at larger sizes.