The Internet is home to some pretty strange opinions. Among these are that the innocent, innocuous typeface Comic Sans (or Comic Sans MS) is the world’s most evil, hated, and stupid typeface. In fact, there is even an entire website dedicated to banning Comic Sans called Ban Comic Sans, run by fontheads Holly and David Combs. The story of why Comic Sans is hated is a pretty fascinating one.
Long story short, people hate Comic Sans because it was as perfectly designed for its purpose as Helvetica was for its purpose. When the inventor of Comic Sans, Vincent Connare, was asked why Comic Sans has become so popular, he replied, “Because it’s sometimes better than Times New Roman, that’s why.” And really, it is, but the problem with Comic Sans is that it just got completely over-used in a heartbeat, usually in situations in which using Comic Sans detracts from the seriousness of the message delivered. The font’s popularity is tied in with the rise of Windows 95, and Windows in general. If it wasn’t for the Microsoft Bob software suite’s use of stuffy old Times New Roman for its word processing component, we never would’ve gotten Comic Sans.
Thanks a lot, former Bob team leader Melinda French-Gates.
Tags: fonts, typefaces, computer fonts, Comic Sans, everyone hates Comic Sans, Ban Comic Sans, Holly Combs, David Combs, anti-Comic Sans movement, anti-Comic Sans website, unusual protests, Vincent Connare, Microsoft, anti-Comic Sans campaign
