My Blaka Font Review
At first glance, Blaka almost looks like strips of overlapping tape, but actually it was drawn with a reed pen. Ideal to bring a rough, cool, but still historic flair to posters, striking headings or large drop caps. So let’s explore its concept that matches blackletter-inspired Latin script with Kufic style Arabic letterforms.
I don’t know any Arabic, but I found it fascinating to see how the blackletter aesthetic was adapted to the script. Because the usual baseline in most Arabic letterforms got replaced by sharp, overlapping strokes. To better understand this, I compared Blaka and Alexandria. In the text below, it’s the same characters, but they are represented very differently.
Also worth mentioning is Blaka Ink, the color font version of the typeface. It shows a warm gradient, highlighting the overlaps and fragmentation of the typeface even more. On websites, this can create striking effects.
But I also find a few things still immature with Blaka. The contrast is a bit uneven at times, the lowercase ‘f’ is quite similar to the uppercase one, and the kerning a bit off. But the biggest issue for me is that the typeface seems uneven in height, jumping up and down on the baseline and above the x-height. Some letters – like ‘s’ and ‘w’ – seem too tall, while others – like ‘b’ – appear too short. This can create a jittery effect, already in medium-sized text. So keep this in mind when using it.
Given these drawbacks, I would only recommend using Blaka in large text. For Arabic script, I’m not able to judge it. If you have insights on this, share it in a comment. Blaka Hollow and Ink work perform better, as their striking style draws attention away from the typeface’s uneven alignment. But despite its quirks, Blaka remains an exciting concept and bold display font for large-scale text.
Font Pairings with Blaka
Blaka is a unique blackletter-style display typeface that doesn’t fit neatly into the Font Matrix. I suggest pairing it with something simple or equally narrow and contrasting.
Learn more about pairing typefaces using the Font Matrix.
What do you think? Do you like Blaka, would you use it in a project? Share your thoughts in the comments! Also let me know if there’s another typeface I should review.
Happiest BirthDay SunDay FunDay Dearest Oliver!!! I’m grateful to know you, may you live long and fulfilled 🫶🏼
And don’t worry, 37-ish year old here, scared of 40s 😬
Blaka Ink! What an ideal font for some movie poster. Or game headline! I see what you mean about uneven letters, little k is the one that stands out a lot. However, I always look the whole picture, zooming out and to me as a whole Blaka is fine with its imperfections!
Oh, thank you, Jana! ❤️ So at least I’m not sacred alone 😉. Although everyone tells me it’s fine, haha.
Wonderful, that you can enjoy Blaka as it is! And of course it always depends on the usage 😉.