Distressed Obbo 4 is a regular weight, narrow, medium contrast, upright, short x-height font.
Keywords: posters, book covers, packaging, titling, brand marks, antique, folkloric, hand-worn, storybook, old-world, aged print, handmade feel, vintage tone, display impact, textura, roughened, chiselled, inky, weathered.
A narrow, upright display serif with a distressed, hand-worn finish. Strokes show medium contrast with slightly swollen joins and irregular, nib-like terminals that create a rough printed texture. Serifs are wedgey and uneven rather than crisp, and curves often appear slightly flattened or notched, giving counters an organic, imperfect silhouette. Proportions vary subtly from glyph to glyph, with a short x-height and relatively tall ascenders that reinforce a vintage rhythm in text.
Best suited to display settings where the textured edges can be appreciated: posters, book covers, packaging, and editorial titling. It can also work for short pull quotes or captions when a vintage, printed feel is desired, but its distressed details and compact proportions are most effective above small text sizes.
The overall tone feels antique and tactile, like aged letterpress or an old book title where ink spread and wear are part of the charm. It reads as folkloric and slightly dramatic without becoming overly ornate, lending a handcrafted, historical character to headlines and short passages.
The design appears intended to simulate an aged, imperfect printing or hand-rendered serif, prioritizing atmosphere and material texture over clean neutrality. It aims to provide an old-world voice that remains readable while adding grit and authenticity to the page.
Uppercase forms lean toward a calligraphic serif tradition, while the lowercase keeps a compact, narrow color on the line. The distressed edges are consistent across letters and numerals, producing a cohesive “worn print” texture that becomes more apparent at larger sizes.