Comic Sans Must Die
Posted: December 07, 2009 » by Lead Architect » in Graphic Design; Humor
I get a queasy feeling any time I see a business using the Comic Sans font in their advertising – especially online. It makes me wonder what, or even if, a graphic designer was thinking when they chose this cheesy, “over utilized for the wrong reasons” type face. I guess most choose it because it looks “fun”, is informal, and is non threatening in it’s curvy nature.
The font was originally created to mirror the typeface found in comic books. BUT – is a comic book really the feeling you want viewers associating with your business? Does a stop sign using Comic Sans convey the same impact or sense urgency? Click on the Stop Sign graphic to the right to enlarge it and see. (I think it makes the requested action look more like a suggestion.)
I make these statements and provide the following links mostly in jest, but seriously, I believe that there is only one audience that Comic Sans is suited for: children.
It seems that John Stossel of ABC’s 20/20 agrees.
John and I aren’t alone. Check out the growing support for the “Kill Comic Sans” movement:
- Comic Sans: The Font Everyone Loves to Hate
- Typeface Inspired by Comic Books Has Become a Font of Ill Will
- All About Comic Sans – History, Examples and Best Practices
- Ban Comic Sans: the source for anti-comic sans propaganda
There are thousands of possible font choices, but sadly, only a few that are “web safe.” Check our our blog post about these standard fonts but please, whatever you do, don’t fall in love with web safe choice #3!
What do you think? Is my hatred of the misuse of this font justified? Do you use Comis Sans in your marketing materials?