Distressed Ohlu 4 is a regular weight, normal width, medium contrast, italic, short x-height font.
Keywords: posters, packaging, headlines, album art, branding, handmade, expressive, casual, rugged, energetic, handwritten feel, authentic texture, dynamic motion, casual voice, display impact, brushy, textured, inked, angular, dry-brush.
A slanted, brush-pen script with dry, textured strokes and visibly irregular edges. Letterforms show quick, gestural construction with tapered starts and finishes, occasional ink pooling, and subtle wobble that mimics natural hand pressure. Proportions are compact and somewhat narrow in the lowercase, with a relatively low x-height and tall, lively ascenders/descenders; spacing is uneven in a natural way, reinforcing the handwritten rhythm. Capitals are simple and assertive, closer to brushed sign lettering than formal calligraphy, and numerals carry the same rough, inked texture.
Best suited for short to mid-length display copy such as posters, product labels, album/cover art, and branding moments that benefit from a handmade signature. It also works well for pull quotes, social graphics, and event promotions where the textured brush feel can carry the visual identity.
The font feels spontaneous and human, with a confident, slightly gritty tone like marker-on-paper or a worn brush stroke. Its texture adds a rugged, urban edge while the slant and flowing joins keep it personable and energetic. Overall it reads as informal, expressive, and deliberately imperfect.
The design appears intended to capture the immediacy of hand-brushed lettering, preserving dry-brush texture and natural inconsistency to create an authentic, lived-in impression. It prioritizes personality and motion over strict regularity, aiming for a bold handwritten voice that stands out in display contexts.
The stroke texture is a major part of the look: counters can appear slightly irregular and terminals often fray, which adds character but can reduce clarity at small sizes. The rhythm is more legible in mixed-case phrases than in dense all-caps settings, where the rough edges and varied widths become more prominent.