Distressed Jemu 7 is a very bold, narrow, low contrast, upright, normal x-height font visually similar to 'Dexa Pro' by Artegra, 'Scary Stories' by Elemeno, 'Aaux Next Comp' by Positype, 'Nu Sans' by Typecalism Foundryline, and 'Expressway' by Typodermic (names referenced only for comparison).
Keywords: posters, headlines, packaging, stickers, album art, grunge, handmade, punchy, playful, rugged, distressed print, handmade feel, high impact, retro grit, display utility, blotchy, chunky, compressed, uneven, organic.
A heavy, condensed display face with blocky silhouettes and softly irregular contours. Strokes are thick and largely uniform, with subtly wobbly verticals and rounded corners that keep the forms from feeling rigid. The surface shows deliberate wear: edges look rubbed and inked-in, with small nicks and blobby flattening that vary from glyph to glyph. Counters are compact and sometimes pinched, and spacing feels slightly uneven in a way that reinforces the rough-printed rhythm.
Best used for short, high-impact text such as posters, event titles, merch graphics, packaging callouts, and editorial or social headlines where texture is desirable. It can also work for logo lockups and badges when the distressed, hand-printed character is part of the brand voice.
The overall tone is gritty and tactile, like ink rolled on coarse paper or a well-used stamp. Despite the roughness, the letterforms stay friendly and approachable, giving it a bold, mischievous energy suited to attention-grabbing headlines.
The design appears intended to mimic rough, imperfect printing—combining condensed, bold construction with worn edges to create a strong, tactile display voice. Its goal is less about refinement and more about immediate impact and analog character.
Uppercase forms read stout and poster-like, while the lowercase keeps simple, sturdy construction with single-storey shapes and compact apertures. Numerals follow the same distressed treatment, maintaining a consistent “worn” texture across the set. The compressed proportions and tight counters can make the texture accumulate at small sizes, so it benefits from generous sizing and breathing room.