
Why you hate Comic Sans - niklasbuschmann
http://designforhackers.com/blog/comic-sans-hate/
======
coldtea
The article is really the antithesis of a good critique.

The comparison to Helvetica and Garamond misses the point of Comic Sans, which
is to be a casual, friendly and playful (as opposed to professional, austere,
serious, business-like) font that looks more handwritten than typographed
(like the handwritten captions in pulp comics of yore).

Even the kerning and height issues they point can be explained for that.
Perfect kerning and proportions would ruin the illusion of it being
handwritten and childlike.

As to why all the hate, it's easy: middle class people with any "artistic" or
"creative" inspirations (and I use the term loosely) will jump at the first
chance to feel more sophisticated than the great unwashed masses. And
designers are the very epitome of that crowd [1].

And most will just jump on any bandwagon related to such a cause (notice the
hundreds of anti-Comic Sans blog posts, articles, even t-shirts), without
thinking the issue thoroughly and trying to understand neither the original
intent nor how and why people actually use the font in practice (which is even
more important).

The real question to ask is not why designers and hipsters "hate" it, but why
the huge "unwanted masses" adopted it with such eagerness. But that would
imply that the average designer also has something to learn from the people,
instead of preaching his dictums (which most of the time are not tied to any
science or real world observations at all) of "what should work" and what
"they should like" to them.

[1] The same people that, in their web incarnation, blathered on and on about
"semantic markup", missing the point of both "semantic" \-- a word that they
repeated as parrots from one another after they learned it from a few
misguided trend-setters -- and "markup", which is not supposed to be where you
convey semantics). This, now mostly subdued trend, kept the web 5 to 10 years
behind -- thank god for SPAs, flex and grid layouts and the like.

~~~
fibbery
You must have worked with some pretty bad designers in the past to have that
much contempt for them.

~~~
coldtea
I don't have "contempt". I just try to understand their behavior, like I do
for other fields, including my own (which might also exhibit similar behavior
in other issues).

And what I see is often a contempt for the designer-ignorant layman.

All the usual caveats apply: what I say is not applicable to absolutely, no
exceptions, 100% of designers, but mostly to the particular
subculture/demographic we talk about here: Western/US designers from the
young/urban/hipster population (which makes for the majority of those of them
posting their opinions on design issues on the web).

------
DonHopkins
We shipped a game called The Sims that used Comic Sans all throughout, that
sold pretty well in spite of the font. In case you can't stand to read Comic
Sans with your eyes, I also made an external screen scraping utility called
Simplifier that reads Comic Sans text off the screen, and catalogs and recites
the product descriptions with a speech synthesizer. [1]

[1]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Imu1v3GecB8&feature=youtu.be...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Imu1v3GecB8&feature=youtu.be&t=3m15s)

------
daveguy
I really don't mind comic sans. I notice it, because it's cool to hate it and
it gets a lot of attention. But really I don't find it terrible.

Edit: kerning, small text readability, etc are all stretching it a bit. The
main reasons are -- overuse and unprofessional look. I wouldn't use it in a
resume, but otherwise I don't hate or even mind it.

~~~
rer0tsaz
No, no, the cool thing to do now is to defend it. You claim that critics just
don't understand its purpose, even if they mention it multiple times and are
only criticising misuse. Then you use it ironically in your professional
presentations to show that you are above the hoi polloi, both of today and of
15 years ago.

------
Cenk
You know what I also hate? Popovers on websites asking for my email address. I
get it, you read somewhere that you‘re supposed to build an email list to grow
your audience. Just let me read in peace.

~~~
theandrewbailey
I also hate Youtube embeds that won't fullscreen without watching the video on
Youtube.

~~~
dublinben
I assumed it was a YouTube embed, but it wouldn't load because I don't have
flash. I guess I'll never get to see this guy's amazing presentation.

------
Ueland
I simply cannot take anything written on a "design" website seriously when
it's filled with 1 full page pop up and another half page pop up.

------
Absentinsomniac
One of my CS professors had us writing papers, and we got extra points if it
was in comic sans. I had to specifically install a ms fonts package for it.
Ever since I've liked it, but don't actually use it. I think the whole thing
surrounding comic sans is incredibly strange and I'm pretty sure I'm missing
some context or something.

~~~
superswordfish
It's the same as with Java, PHP, ketchup, strip malls, pop music, professional
wrestling, etc. which are usually criticized with minimal mental effort. The
opinion is used as a signal that you're not "one of them," that is, a
commoner, though to a thinking person they establish you as exactly that,
somebody who is incapable of nuanced thinking.

~~~
ldonley
This is too true. Best is when the opinions on these are formed with no
previous experience with it. I have to use Perl at work and whenever someone
finds out they say "I'm sorry that you have to use that terrible language!"
Sure, I would prefer to use Python, but Perl has some useful features that
other languages don't do as well which is why I use it. Conveniently, nobody
who comments to me about Perl has ever actually used it. Same with when I have
used Java in the past.

------
crb
Designer Craig Rozynski has created a new version of Comic Sans, which fixes
many (most?) of the typographical problems pointed out in this article:
[http://comicneue.com/](http://comicneue.com/)

There's a good interview with Rozynski on the subject:
[http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2014/april/the-
neue-...](http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2014/april/the-neue-comic-
sans/)

~~~
Avshalom
Eh, the bold is alright but I think the regular version loses one of Comic
Sans' most important qualities: it doesn't develop weird/anemic proportions
when used at large sizes or in all caps.

and personally I think the 'e' is too aggressive.

------
larrymcp
Hmmm, I think the premise is way off-base here. People don't even hate Comic
Sans... they hate how often it's used inappropriately.

The article tries to construct this huge overwrought analysis of the font
itself, but the font is fine. It's the tone-deaf way that people _use_ Comic
Sans that causes ridicule.

~~~
7Z7
No, lots and lots of people really do hate Comic Sans, independent of use.

------
resoluteteeth
In my opinion, the real reason Comic Sans is bad has nothing to do with the
actual design of Comic Sans. The simple fact is that it gets annoying to read
significant amounts of text if they are in fonts if they deviate too far from
the normal standards. Fonts that try to emulate handwritten cursive, for
example, are even more annoying.

It's just that of the fonts that most people have pre-installed, Comic Sans
may be unique in terms of being in the danger zone where it's almost normal
enough that people try to use it for actual documents, but different enough
that people forced to read those documents get irritated.

This article is more along the lines of "Arial is bad," which may be true in
terms of font design, but isn't the sort of thing normal people are going to
go around wearing t-shirts about.

------
codingdave
I'd give a simpler answer - because it looks like a kid's handwriting.

~~~
coldtea
That's the intent though, which completely flew over the "critics" (and I use
the term loosely) head...

~~~
PhasmaFelis
No, not really. The problem is people using it in places where a kid-
handwriting font makes no sense.

~~~
coldtea
That's what you say the problem is, and I could agree, but TFA never makes
such a distinction.

------
JabavuAdams
Because we're social creatures and we like to belittle out-groups to make
ourselves feel special?

------
polpo
Comic Sans is a terrible font, even when used for its intended purpose. It has
a really off-kilter awkwardness that doesn't evoke any sense of youth or
playfulness.

The perfect argument against Comic Sans is Chalkboard [1], a font created by
Apple to have the same look but fixes everything wrong with it. Vincent
Connare, the creator of Comic Sans, uses it as an example of how great Comic
Sans is, saying "if Comic Sans is bad why make something similar." [2] But
they made something similar because it was bad and needed fixing. Chalkboard
shows that the concept of a casual handwriting/comic font is valid, it's just
that Comic Sans blew the execution.

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalkboard_(typeface)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalkboard_\(typeface\))
[2] [http://www.connare.com/whycomic.htm](http://www.connare.com/whycomic.htm)

------
Spooky23
I get it, Comic Sans is tacky. But so is the fetishizing of Helvetica.

~~~
DonHopkins
At least Helvetica has a whole movie about it! [1]

"It's hard to evaluate it. It's like being asked what you think about off-
white paint. It's just there. It's hard to get your head around something
that's that big."

"And most people who use Helvetica use it because it's ubiquitious. It's like
going to McDonalds instead of thinking about food. Because it's there. It's on
every street corner. So let's eat crap, because it's on the corner."

[1]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JkpYgjbYRg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JkpYgjbYRg)

~~~
TheOtherHobbes
I knew Design[tm] had won the world when a generic fast food joint near me had
words like "Burger" and "Chicken" styled in classic designer fonts and
sandblasted into frosted glass on its windows.

Definitely no Comic Sans.

~~~
DonHopkins
And there's the dystopian generic food of Repo Man [1].

[1] [http://i.imgur.com/w6ODNaQ.png](http://i.imgur.com/w6ODNaQ.png)

~~~
bitwize
The most entertaining bit about the movie _The Host_ (based on the Stephenie
Meyer novel) was the fact that in a world ruled by Souls -- alien beings who
possess humans and are incapable of dishonesty -- you go to a store marked
"store". You pick up a bag of potato chips marked "potato chips", a jug of
milk marked "milk" and a can of chicken soup marked "chicken soup". You walk
out without paying for anything because the owners of "store" know you won't
take more than you need and are providing for everybody.

Oh yeah, all the labels are in Helvetica bold. Anything fanvier might be a way
to get a dishonest advantage.

------
brashrat
sorry in advance for posting a contrary opinion, but this runs contrary to
"both sides" of what I hear in the debate and I feel like it's worth sharing,
I can't be the only one...:

if you want to make a "warning" sign, like "Caution: electrical hazard", my
claim is that it will get noticed MORE and serve as a better warning if you
display it in Comic Sans. Reason, it looks like an actual person went to the
trouble to warn you, as opposed to some overly cautious liability dodging
corporate (or OSHA or insurance company) warning.

And I'm not saying it's perfect or doesn't have a lot of other fails, but it's
my goto font for signage because it's ubiquitous and it gets the message
across. I'm mystified by people who only wish to be warned in ... in what,
serif or sans, I don't even know?

------
khaled
I don’t hate Comic Sans and never understood all the hate, it a rather nice
font actually.

~~~
tomelders
It's my goto font when typesetting speech bubbles for my dank memes. Or when I
want to give another designer an aneurism.

People just need to chill out. The more people use Comic Sans, the better a
pro-designers work looks against the "corporate-but-also-fun powerpoint"
background radiation.

------
OJFord
I've never before seen someone making the mistake of saying 'Legos' go so far
as to capitalise it and append a registered trademark icon. LEGO is a
trademark; 'LEGOS' is not.

------
kristiandupont
Is it just me or is Comic Sans such an easy target that it seems silly to be
elitist about it? It's like if a bunch of film critics kept bringing up how
bad Batman and Robin was.

~~~
CM30
Well, the internet critics like to bring up how bad Batman and Robin was as a
movie. There's a reason 'Bat Credit Card' became a meme back in the day.

But yeah, it's an easy target.

------
jordigh
Meanwhile, over in Lobsters, the OpenBSD devs claim responsibility for the
recent wave of Comic Sans attacks:

[https://lobste.rs/s/0dxurz/new_hat_request_system/comments/p...](https://lobste.rs/s/0dxurz/new_hat_request_system/comments/phl1qg#c_phl1qg)

------
phpguys
This was a really long, un-needed technical way of saying "it was cool once
but it got tired with the times."

Just because this designer thinks that Comic Sans sucks, doesn't mean it
didn't have a place all those years ago.

~~~
PhasmaFelis
The writer said quite clearly that it did have a place all those years ago.

------
cafard
[http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/im-comic-sans-
asshole](http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/im-comic-sans-asshole)

------
LarryMade2
Used it for years for a child care related newsletter - it is a nice readable
informal font. Worked well for the audience.

------
paulpauper
there's nothing funny about comic sans

------
jheriko
in my experience, people hate it because it is used so often in places where
it is inappropriate.

a lot of the analysis here is authoritative but off the mark as well... that e
is the most readable letter when blurred to me, and its the properties which
are criticised which make it the case.

that is it, nothing more complicated than that.

------
leonatan
I couldn't continue reading this article after the third popup on mobile.
Idiotic site design.

------
xufi
I hated it since I knew it was wrong when I used it for an paper in 3rd grade

------
silliconeheart
I love comic sans, I find it very readable.

------
dthakur
It's a font.

------
frik
Comic Sams actually shipped with Internet Explorer 3-5 and Win98+. The font
was meant for Comic Chat which came with IE3-5, an IRC chat application.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Comic_Chat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Comic_Chat)

You have to install IE on Win95 to get the font. IE4 included the Win95 shell
upgrade which meant it turned Win95 to look like Win98. So a lot of people
installed it.

------
jrcii
This was the funniest thing to me, CERN released the Higgs boson finding in
Comic Sans [http://www.theverge.com/2012/7/4/3136652/cern-scientists-
com...](http://www.theverge.com/2012/7/4/3136652/cern-scientists-comic-sans-
higgs-boson)

