# why does everyone hate comic sans?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/363920
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [July 10, 2006, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/363920 "2006-07-10T19:56:10Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2006, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/363920/41 "2006-07-11T19:27:02Z")
I wrote my second NaNoWriMo novel in Comic Sans, partly because I was tired of the same damn fonts all the time, but mostly because it was much more readable. The twelve-point Comic Sans font stood out clearly from the screen of my old laptop and the shapes of the letters made them easy to distinguish, and therefore, read. With a new laptop I may try a different font. Re-reading text of my first novel, which was in Times New Roman, was always a bit of an effort because the uniformity of the letters made picking out words like picking out bricks in a brick wall. Lately I’ve been using Georgia for things that will ultimately be printed.
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### Author:  [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2006, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/363920/42 "2006-07-11T20:08:24Z")
> [@](#):
>
> I think since your website represents your business it may well be worth it to hire a web designer, who has both technical know-how and a good understanding of how everything comes together - there is a whole lot involved that most people would not even think of.
Thanks for your comments. Eventually we definately will have a more professional website put together. Right now that money just isn’t available – we are a very new business. We need a website for information purposes and, especially, to make pictures of our work available to future clients. For now, our homemade one will have to do.
Next time I have some time, though, I’ll mess around a bit with changing the fonts and see whether I can find something I like that doesn’t have this prejudice against it.
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### Author:  [@DaddyTimesTwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaddyTimesTwo)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2006, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/363920/43 "2006-07-11T21:03:09Z")
At my old job I went through and changed all the default fonts in everything (except the VB IDE - fixed width is the only way to go for programming) to Comic Sans. I liked the look. Outlook, all the icons on my desktop, etc. And for the record I have never been in a sorority and I have never been a girl.
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### Author:  [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2006, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/363920/44 "2006-07-11T22:59:22Z")
> [@yBeayf](#):
>
> Because it’s a hideous, ugly, disjointed, _annoying_ turd of a font. That’s why.
>
> (Mind you, most sans serif typefaces aren’t much better.)
this post has been Comic Sansed by the Comic Sansist!
😃
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### Author:  [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2006, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/363920/45 "2006-07-11T23:14:16Z")
Yes, I know colors are allowed by moderator rule, but they generally aren’t allowed by mob rule. I trust the Grapist is cite enough.
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### Author:  [@EPDerby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EPDerby)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2006, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/363920/46 "2006-07-12T03:53:25Z")
From the point of view of a font geek… are you writing something in Comic Sans because you’re a comic character?
Really, there are thousands of fonts out there, including a variety of modern comic book style fonts, you know, for if you’re making a comic book or strip and you need a traditional, pleasing font to fit the mold.
I suppose Comic Sans is okay for kids. But from a basic design point of view, it’s ugly and looks like a font you would buy for $1 at Walmart.
And don’t get me started on Mistral.
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### Author:  [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2006, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/363920/47 "2006-07-12T08:12:43Z")
If you want to write like a comic strip character, for my money Inkpen2 Script looks a lot more like the real thing. I can almost imagine good ol’ Charlie Brown sitting down and typing his homework in that font.
But I wouldn’t use it in any kind of _real_ writing, by which I mean something I want other people to read… I edit a monthly club newsletter and, after some discussion with an older member with poor eyesight, chose Arial. It’s easy to read at relatively small sizes, and we can use the matching Arial Black for headlines and such. Previously we were using Verdana, which also does the trick, but its wiiiiide size takes up too much space for me. Still, my default for personal writing is good ol’ Times New Roman.
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### Author:  [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2006, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/363920/48 "2006-07-12T17:11:20Z")
Even worse than receiving work-related emails at the office in an unprofessional-feeling Comic Sans font is getting it in Lucida Handwriting, with a “notebook paper” background effect (i.e., to look like lined paper with holes punched on the sides).
Yeah, I really want to read email from people going way out of their way to make it look like 5th grade handwritten homework! :rolleyes:
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### Author:  [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2006, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/363920/49 "2006-07-12T17:35:51Z")
I think it’s a victim of its own success. For a while, it was the only font in the standard set that had a look that was both different and casual, while at the same time being easy (enough) to read. It was the kind of thing that we would use in our office for things like flyers about the holiday luncheon or those announcements that say “Congrats to Jenny in Accounting, she just had a baby girl!” It sent a message of “See, it’s casual, fun and upbeat, yet we can still make the flyers on the computer!”
Now I find it slightly annoying because it’s overused. When it’s used for things like actual business communication, I still get that “don’t forget to bring a dessert to share at the holiday luncheon!” vibe and it strikes me as unprofessional. It’s even to the point where when I see it used for something that is _supposed to be_ casual, like a party invitation, my first thought is that the person couldn’t be bothered to come up with something unique.
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### Author:  [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2006, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/363920/50 "2006-07-12T19:53:44Z")
> [@](#):
>
> this post has been Comic Sansed by the Comic Sansist!
You die now.
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### Author:  [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)
#### Post date: [July 12, 2006, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/363920/51 "2006-07-12T21:50:13Z")
> [@EPDerby](#):
>
> I suppose Comic Sans is okay for kids. But from a basic design point of view, it’s ugly and looks like a font you would buy for $1 at Walmart.
It puzzles me that someone would even have to ask why Comic Sans is ugly. It’s just crappy-looking. There are nice-looking handwriting-style fonts. Comic Sans is simply not one of them.
But if you’re not inclined to pay attention to that kind of thing, then one handwritten font is probably as good as any other.
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### Author:  [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2006, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/363920/52 "2006-07-13T01:11:21Z")
> [@Excalibre](#):
>
> It puzzles me that someone would even have to ask why Comic Sans is ugly.
That’s interesting, because it puzzles me that someone would find it ugly.
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### Author:  [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2006, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/363920/53 "2006-07-13T01:39:00Z")
I dislike Comic Sans, in fact, reading this thread, I had a visceral response to it. I work in informal education, so my exposure to it is perhaps higher than average. Somehow, it has become a house style for several of our products, although among my colleagues, we agree that it kinda sucks.
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### Author:  [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2006, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/363920/54 "2006-07-13T01:54:21Z")
> [@Excalibre](#):
>
> It puzzles me that someone would even have to ask why Comic Sans is ugly. It’s just crappy-looking. There are nice-looking handwriting-style fonts. Comic Sans is simply not one of them.
It puzzles me why someone would say _anything_ was ugly and not understand that tastes differ. As I said before. _I_ think Comic Sans is an attractive font. I can understand someone telling me that it’s inappropriate for business (too ‘cute,’ or too overdone), but saying so flatly that something is just ugly, period, because you don’t like it seems a bit much.
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### Author:  [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2006, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/363920/55 "2006-07-13T02:45:32Z")
I’m in with those who say it’s a victim of overuse/abuse. It makes you look like you’re trying too hard even when you must already know you’re fooling no one… but the thing is often you’re NOT trying to fool anyone, you just want a less-formal font.
By now everyone recognizes it as “the Windows font that stiffly simulates print handwritting.” And in that sense there may be among some an element of “why, look at that Phillistine who’ll only use what’s already packaged with Windows!”.
On that particular subject it is though pertinent to mention that as “comic” or “handwritten” lettering fonts go, CS as a Windows factory-standard means someone can absolutely count on that if you want to type something along the lines of \*\* ¿Cuándo llegó a Mayagüez desde Curaçao, señora Pérez? \*\* you’ll get all your diacrits. _Which I’ve found to be hit-and miss with download fonts and storebought font CDs._ Let’s face it, it’s even preloaded in the SDMB word processor!
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### Author:  [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2006, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/363920/56 "2006-07-13T13:28:26Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#):
>
> By now everyone recognizes it as “the Windows font that stiffly simulates print handwritting.”
Everyone but me. I have never associated it with mimicking handwriting. It’s just a font that looks good and is easy to read on a computer screen. 😃
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### Author:  [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2006, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/363920/57 "2006-07-13T19:09:21Z")
When my brother sent me the computer I use at home, the display feature was set to use Comic Sans MS–on the title bars for all windows and web pages, for example.
When I added Garamond font to the computer, I used it to replace CSMS on title bars. I still use Comic Sans MS in some places where the lettering is small and other fonts would not be readable.
Both fonts, incidentally, have Greek and Cyrillic characters. 🙂
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### Author:  [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2006, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/363920/58 "2006-07-14T05:11:44Z")
On message boards, a post in all Comic Sans makes me suspect that it was cut and pasted from somewhere else.
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### Author:  [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2006, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/363920/59 "2006-07-14T18:07:23Z")
Throwing in my two cents with the “unprofessional-looking” camp. A few years back I worked on a project that was managed by this idiot who, in my opinion, couldn’t manage his way out of a wet paper bag. Anyway, he \*lurved \*Comic Sans and not only used it in emails and whatnot, but insisted that the team use it on all official documentation that we had to submit to our customer (a Federal agency, no less). Due to his complete lack of management skills he was shit-canned after the first year of the project, and in subsequent years whenever we have needed to make an update to a project document, the first thing to go is that damned font!
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### Author:  [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2006, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/363920/60 "2006-07-16T01:26:06Z")
> [@Shoeless](#):
>
> Throwing in my two cents…the first thing to go is that damned font!
If your company fires people for the font they use, you should definitely bail while the chance is yours.
And, BTW, the fact that some guy got fired is, literally, a logic-impaired reason to dislike a font.
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