On Type Snobbery
Author of this post: Tara MacKay | About Blog Authors »Do you cringe whenever you see a billboard covered in Comic Sans? Or a logo designed with Arial? Do you notice every kerning misstep or poor leading choice? Sounds like you might be a type snob.
Don’t worry, there are many like you out there, and it’s not necessarily a bad quality for a designer to have. Take, for instance, the folks at Ban Comic Sans, who have made it their mission to get people to stop using this casual font in inappropriate places.
www.bancomicsans.com
Several years ago, the original designer of Comic Sans responded to the widespread usage/hatred of his font, noting that it was originally created for comic usage within Microsoft products. Even he sees places that it is used poorly.
Ban Comic Sans has been around for years, but sadly I don’t think the message is getting through to everyone. Nonetheless, their “anti-comic sans propaganda” is fun for designers.
If you’re more of an Arial hater, the Arial or Helvetica quiz is for you, giving you 10 type samples to analyze. Can you tell the difference between the timeless Helvetica and Microsoft’s version of it (otherwise known as Arial)? It’s harder than it looks, but once you know the differences you may never use Arial again. If you need to cheat on the quiz, visit the Linotype Font Identifier.
Helvetica and Arial: so close, but so far apart…
If you’re the “glass half full” type who would rather exalt your favorite fonts than bash the lesser ones, check out the Ampersand Clothing Co. shirts at buyolympia.com that honor Helvetica, Garamond, Futura, and more.
While this type snobbery is all in good fun, it’s a great reminder that a wrong font choice or typography slip-up can distract readers from the message. When typography is well-chosen readers often don’t notice your hard work; but good typography will always make your overall design more sophisticated and your message more memorable.
June 20th, 2007 at 2:28 pm
I think I may be suffering from type snobbery– I recently refused to buy a certain ice cream because the fonts on the logo made me think it wouldn’t taste good! Going without ice cream in the summer in New York is clearly a sign of insanity.
June 20th, 2007 at 8:09 pm
I hate seeing local advertisers murder every ad by using the worst fonts. It drives me crazy!
June 20th, 2007 at 9:46 pm
Local advertisers really are the worst offenders! There’s a carpet warehouse commercial in my area that must use at least a dozen different fonts in the span of 30 seconds.
June 25th, 2007 at 12:35 am
I’ve had a client “suggest” using comic sans, like it was a new, brilliant design idea. I was cringing. Didnt know there were people out there that shared my views!
June 27th, 2007 at 9:16 pm
I must agree with the comments regarding local advertisers using the most inapproperate fonts.
I have a co-worker who thinks it is ok to use comic sans, on important documents.
How do you get them to stop?
June 28th, 2007 at 12:50 pm
Comic Sans is the worst font ever made! After that comes: Brussels and Arial Rounded…..And for the love people, stop over-using Copperplate Gothic Bold like you’re the only person ever to see or use this amazing font. AAAARRRGH!
June 28th, 2007 at 4:21 pm
Argh, indeed, Redliner — Copperplate overuse makes me crazy too. At least that one has some good uses.
Christine, you bring up a great question: How do you get them to stop? I wish I knew the answer. It’s tough to do without coming off like a total know-it-all. Maybe one way is to introduce them to some fonts that you love and see if they’ll switch.
July 3rd, 2007 at 11:24 am
Chickengirl, when my client suggested Comic Sans for her logo a few years ago, I carefully shared with her that this font is a sure signal of mediocrity. I told her I’d use it if she wanted me to, but I definitely recommended another font (any other font!) if she wanted to be taken seriously. Thankfully she took my advice!