Retardo Splat Police

Retardo Splat by John A. Matheson is a free rough-cut display font with the charm of hand-shaped lettering. Its uneven strokes shift between broad and narrow, and the rounded forms carry kinks and flat spots. The result feels crude and comic rather than worn by surface damage.

Children's entertainment and underground music graphics are different settings, but the gawky silhouettes suit both. It can give game title cards, gig posters, packaging, and merchandise a scrappy, irreverent voice. On packaging or posters, the letters can become part of a hand-drawn sign or cartoon emblem instead of serving as neutral type.