Distressed Nabu 10 is a light, wide, medium contrast, upright, normal x-height font.
Keywords: posters, book covers, packaging, editorial, headlines, typewriter, vintage, gritty, handmade, aged print, analog texture, document realism, retro tone, tactile grit, monospaced feel, rough edges, ink bleed, weathered, uneven baseline.
A serifed text face with a typewriter-like construction and visibly roughened outlines. Strokes show irregular width, softened corners, and small nicks that read like worn metal type or dry ink, while the serifs are blunt and slightly splayed. Proportions are fairly open with generous counters and a steady, upright stance; spacing feels consistent and grid-friendly, though individual glyphs carry subtle, organic wobble. Numerals and capitals maintain a sturdy, print-oriented silhouette, and the overall texture stays consistent across the set.
Works well for display and short-to-medium text where a worn, analog texture is desirable—such as posters, book covers, album art, editorial callouts, packaging, and faux-typewritten or archival document styling. It can also add character to quotes, captions, and title treatments when paired with cleaner body text.
The font conveys a vintage, utilitarian tone with a tactile, imperfect finish. Its distressed texture suggests aged documents, archival copies, or DIY printmaking, lending text an immediate sense of grit and authenticity rather than polish.
The design appears intended to mimic the feel of mechanical type with age and imperfect reproduction—capturing the rhythm of printed letterforms while adding deliberate roughness for atmosphere and narrative context.
The distress is concentrated along outer contours rather than through large interior breaks, so letterforms remain legible while still producing a noisy, analog surface. The texture is strong enough to be noticeable at text sizes and becomes more graphic and atmospheric as size increases.