Letters
Some people really don’t like the font comic sans, like the Ban Comic Sans movement.
I too had a problem with it… especially when used in comics – I thought it was lazy – and even more especially when I encountered it in books as a typesetter.
But I think it’s time for the anti-comic sans backlash. I think you should care for this font a great deal.
I realise that my evidence is anecdotal at best, but I’m hoping in time to be able to support my reason for being pro-CS.
So here goes…
I had a conversation with a friend who works in the education department in a young offenders institute.
I was talking about the ban comic sans thing when he pulled me up on being an elitist typesetter (typesetter not being the word he actually used). Apparently, appearance aside, comic sans is used almost ubiquitously in teaching young offenders –
‘Think about it, it’s the least intimidating font – that’s what it was designed for, not too look all authoritarian and imposing, but informal. The boys aren’t threatened by it, and we’re talking about fifteen year-olds that haven’t been taught to read, this is important to them. Besides, it’s also useful in terms of dyslexia and considering the proportion of them that have it, well that kills two birds with one stone.’
I concede, that’s a pretty good reason.
Then we considered the fact that the reason I hate it is the fact that makes it so useful – it looks as if it is designed by someone who is learning to write.
I guess my point is that I’ve been judging it on purely aesthetic qualities – and I maintain it is an ugly font – but by banning it, all we’re doing is making reading more intimidating, which means less people will want to read and I can’t in good conscience support a movement that actively discourages people – young underprivileged people – from reading.
So, who’s with me, who’s anti-anti comic sans?
I am mostly neutral regarding comic sans. Like you I don’t much like the look of it, but it’s not something I can get worked up about.
One of my favorite fonts is Limehouse Script. It’s one of the few commercial fonts that I legitimately own, but unfortunately there aren’t very many places where it’s appropriate to use. Squire, another font that I own, is even worse. I bought it way back in the 90s for a single project I was working on and haven’t used it since. Still, I love the way it looks, and if the chance ever comes up I’ll use it again.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that beauty isn’t always the main point when it comes to typefaces; utility can be just as important.
Limehouse Script? As seen on the Ataraxia Theatre website?
It’s a nice font… and I suppose forms part of the counter argument to what I’m talking about – there a plenty of fonts that have the same features of comic sans but minus the ugliness.
But it’s just the elitist attitude I take exception to, and it’s one that I once subscribed to and so I must make amends.
Squire’s not too shabby either, kinda futuristic-retro…
You’re right, utility is important, afterall, all text is a form of communication and if it fails to communicate the it fails entirely.
Ban Comic Sans.
Goodness gracious me. Don’t these people have something better to do? Like campaigning to ban land mines or teach correct grammar and spelling to school teachers or something useful??
“don’t these people have something better to do?”
Apparently not, just like 90% of people on the internet…
See also, the ‘ban the colour blue’ campaign.
I don’t know what brands of chocolate you get where you are, but our biggest seller ( I think ), Cadbury, was trying to copywrite/right the colour purple, or atleast the particular hue that they used.
It is gonna take alot of pollution to get the blue out of the sky.
I’m anti comics sans serif, myself,
Unless I’m font wanting.
I’m not snobbish about fonts,
nor fobbish about snots.
I’m comics sans panties, maybe.
“font wanting” … I think you’ve just coined a phrase, one that works and is very apt.
I’m going to use that at somepoint, and if anyone asks where I got it, I’ll point them in your direction.
Is comic sans an important issue?
Times New Roman is far worse AFAIC.
But landmines hurt my eyes even more.
*Ben gets banned for the second time in as many weeks for bringing Times New Roman into the conversation*
:¬)
Just kidding. You’re not wrong. I was once made to set an entire book in TNR… it was like brushing my teeth with tinfoil.
You should stop writing such interesting blurbs, Adam. By the time I’m done reading everything, I usually forget what the comic was about.
Comic Sans has a rather interesting history; it was conceived as a dialog font for Microsoft Bob, and designed by Vincent Connare, who, ironically, also designed the very readable Trebuchet. I, personally hate Comic, not because it’s ugly, but because it’s been grossly mis- and over-used.
I don’t know how to insert links in your weird comment box (HTML tags seem to be escaped), so I’ll just drop it over here:
I mean over here:
http://www.connare.com/comic.htm
More typography comics, sir.
That’s a nice link… Chalkboard, the evil twin of CS.
I think there is some credence to the argument that CS is mis- and over-used… but rather than ban the font, we need to educate people to the appropriate alternatives.
I could sit here drawing typography comics, and making typography jokes… but someone beat me to the best one:
What is the result of improper kerning?
keming.
Oh, bad kerning is one of my pet peeves. I hate seeing a street sign, or a bronze plaque, with something to the tune of “AV” looking like “A V” because the engraver didn’t know he had to kern it (odd that I can’t come up with a better example off the top of my head).
Actually, I can’t think of a recent example of bad kerning either… I will keep a look out and report back in due course.
I dislike Comic Sans purely because it was overused in Primary School – although reading your blurb, I can see it was probably for the same reasons. Loads of people were either dyslexic or just hated to read.
(I was certainly not one of those people. To this day, I’m still pretty sure that one of my proudest memories was that I wasn’t allowed to read from the book box in the classroom. Oh no. I had to go the library and pick something more challenging.
…I am so sad.)
*shows his age* I didn’t encounter CS in primary school.
I’ve never really got people that hate to read… that is people who can, but don’t want to. I understand not wanting to read certain books, but not all books.
There’s nothing sad about being geeky… I remember my first trip to the library… ‘course in those days books were made out of slate.
Whoa…I think your story just uncovered a long-lost memory. They used to send me to other classrooms to get books from higher grade levels. Also they used to have me read to kids in higher grades (I really don’t know what end that was supposed to serve: it made me look like a freak and it made them feel stupid, and since I could read before I entered school it certainly didn’t make the teachers look good.)
i am definitely anti-comic sans
they use it way too much in education
i find it patronising
it makes me feel like a six year old
“it makes me feel like a six year old”
Perhaps then, we should bottle it and sell it to aging rockstars and movie faces.
Except certain rockstars… we shouldn’t ever encourage them to feel like a six year old.
I think I’m more anti its name. What the heck is so comical about Comic Sans?
you make an excellent point, friend.
It does improv at the weekends… no one laughs though… last I heard it had its own sitcom of Fox.
i just caught the mosquito thats been hanging around in my room biting me and making annoying noises. i really do apologise for the irrelevance, but i am very satisfied with this, and felt i had to tell someone.
Did you manage to do it ‘Karate Kid’ style with a couple of chopsticks?
As far as I see it, they’d kill you if they could, so congratulations.
another one just landed on my leg
i was clearly looking at it, im sure it could tell
the audacity of it!
i should be asleep, but i refuse to go to bed until i win this
Two down, several hundred billion to go.
As instant karma, I just got bitten by something.
You go girl.
I find napalm and shaped charges an effective method of dealing with mozzies.
In our house we have two ninja dogs who scamble around the room eating anything that flies, including flies, and mozzies, kaurie bugs (massive flying cockroches the size of a fat adult finger) and moths. The ninjas are unfortunately a german shepherd and a jack russell. Lots of broken things, dinner stains on the wall etc. had a moment of angst as a teacher who uses lots of comic sans – for the reasons above…but then thought about my mission as a guerilla lit nut, if anything works use it. If a kid will read only the Guiness book of records or betting slips, let em. Who cares what we read as long as we find the buzz? Does anyone else ever worry about the the majority world not having the same access to our wonderful world of ether on the net? I’m setting up individual websites for each of my kids with podcasts and all that jazz and it got me thing about the inequities between school life and expectations for the future in nz compared with …the majority of the planets kids. What does that mean for a global culture without things like war if only some of the planet can participate in the latest education wave?
I’ve gotta get shorter at these notes………
My first web page used a peach-shaded Comic Sans…and the background was blue. I was always out to piss people off, I guess. Or blind them.
I’m going to pre-invoke Godwins law.
You are a asethic nazi!
Evil and twisted!
It’s a fair cop.
(I didn’t even admit to my use of BLINK tags on that site.)
I’m fairly sure I’m banned from the net for my previous comments in this discussions, but….
All I want is for people coding up their homepages to realise the K.I.S.S. rule. Take some basic colour theory, people, and stop cluttering up your damn page with bells and whistles. (headdesk)
The trouble is that I compare all fonts to my own handwriting and judge them that way. Unfortunately I’m in love with my writing, so I’m never happy with fonts.
I used to use comic sans. It’s a good, non-fancy, easy to read font. I’m guessing people dislike it so much because it’s just so overused. I would think people would be more upset about comics that use fonts like Times New Roman. (the discussion is fonts in comics right??) Comic Sans is much better than Times New Roman when used in comics. Serif fonts just look terrible in comics.
Good fonts are hard to find. A lot of fonts are in all capitals only. I prefer lower case, even though most comics in the world use all upercase. Because it’s easier to do by hand, I believe.
As a font nerd, I tend to prize the aesthetics over functionality. So you may not ever be able to read a word I type, but damn will they look good.