# Why does everyone hate Comic Sans? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 20, 2009, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/493676 "2009-04-20T01:10:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/493676/21 "2009-04-20T06:53:18Z")
I work at a Montessori kindergarten and we’re expected to use it for anything the children will read. This is because the lower case a looks like the a they are being taught to write, not like the hooked **a** of most fonts. Personally I prefer Century Gothic, which also has the round lower case a and which I believe looks more like the letters they’re meant to be learning, but I was outvoted. Not that I am bitter. ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/493676/22 "2009-04-20T07:15:25Z")
Where I live it is routinely used for serious scientific presentations. And I’m the only one who even notices. It’s ridiculous. Hmm, I’m looking for a new font to use on messenger. Any of you font people have a suggestion to make? ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/493676/23 "2009-04-20T07:27:25Z")
> [@](#): > > Any of you font people have a suggestion to make? Bodoni? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![chromaticity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@chromaticity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chromaticity)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/493676/24 "2009-04-20T12:46:22Z")
When I get a mail in Comic Sans, its usually some chain letter or some “fun” events which I hate. I don’t dislike the font by itself, but the contexts in which it is used frequently rub me the wrong way. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/493676/25 "2009-04-20T13:12:08Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Can’t breathe. “Menorah thing” is a moose. hahahahahah. Funny. > > My husband (from across the room) “that looked kinda like a penis” > > Me: “No, it’s just Canada.” Heh, at least it’s not an actual one, like on the early Euro coins. Oh, they \*say \* it was just a drawing of the Scandinavian peninsula without Norway, since Norway isn’t part of the EU, but… ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/493676/26 "2009-04-20T14:36:25Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > Probably. Just like Comic Sans says “third grade” and “forwarded glurge from your aunt”, Papyrus says “yoga studio”, “food co-op” and “upscale Indian or Asian restaurant in a not-so-trendy small to mid-sized metropolitan area like Omaha or Rochester”. Comic Sans is beloved by teachers and unsophisticated secretaries; Papyrus is the favorite of yoga moms that buy tea with flavors like “rejuvenation” and “calm”. Exactly. I answer e-mails from geneaologists all day. We have three or four who write exclusively in Comic Sans. Two of them have e-mail backgrounds. One does it in purple. Comic Sans makes people think you are stupid or writing for seven year olds. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/493676/27 "2009-04-20T14:44:47Z")
> [@wunderkammer](#): > > …playing wacky sound effects and incidental music to “improve” a conversation. Oops. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/493676/28 "2009-04-20T14:55:38Z")
Copperplate is the font of fonts. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/493676/29 "2009-04-20T16:56:02Z")
> [@Larry\_Mudd](#): > > I know that some Americans think that Canadian currency looks “funny,” but… you do know… uh… Yes, I do know it was designed by a kid, if that’s what you’re trying to say. Although I’m sure they could find a better-looking “cartoony” font than Comic Sans. I like the design, but the Comic Sans sticks out like a sore thumb. While looking online about Comic Sans, I found [this brief documentary](http://www.vimeo.com/1994310) that was done as a student project, loosely inspired by the documentary _Helvetica_. The most interesting part to me is where they take well-known corporate logos and change them to Comic Sans, and get people’s reactions. I agree that Facebook looks good, but I don’t agree with Starbucks. I do agree that every other one is horrible, though. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/493676/30 "2009-04-20T17:04:44Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > I agree that THAT looks horrible, but it also doesn’t look like Comic Sans to me. > See? They’re all lined up nice and proper, not leaning like wallflower preteens (great image, BTW!) i j p q They look crooked to me. ‘j’ tilts to the left, as well as ‘p’. ‘i’ is more straight up and down and then there’s ‘q’ having to be different and lean over to the right. The smaller the font is, the harder it is to see the issues. They’re still there, though, dammit. ---
**Author:** ![wunderkammer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ed8c4c/32.png) [@wunderkammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wunderkammer)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/493676/31 "2009-04-20T17:11:12Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > I agree that THAT looks horrible, but it also doesn’t look like Comic Sans to me. > > ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz See? Yeah, I admit that the awkwardness diminishes a bit as the text size decreases, but once I’ve noticed it in glorious close-up via chain e-mails, store signs, or classmates’ Powerpoints, I can’t un-notice it. And some of those letterforms are ugly no matter how small you shrink them. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/493676/32 "2009-04-20T17:33:56Z")
There’s one typeface that appears to be almost everywhere in Rust Belt cities, but which is much less common elsewhere, in my observation. [Brush Script](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brush_Script). I’ve called Brush Script “the Comic Sans of the Rust Belt”. It’s everywhere, and used in contexts where one normally wouldn’t expect to see it. I think its appeal there is the retro character. In other parts of the country, Brush Script is used in an period or ironic retro context. In places like Cleveland and Detroit, there’s no irony; it’s seen as a “classy” font appropriate for everyday use, even in an all-uppercase form. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/493676/33 "2009-04-20T17:40:43Z")
Am I a freak for using Times New Roman all the time, no matter what, for any typing purpose whatsoever? ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/493676/34 "2009-04-20T17:48:54Z")
It’s overused and looks stupid. Typing up an invitation for a ninth birthday party? Fine, though there are more fun and ‘whimsical’ fonts out there. Using it for anything else? It’s going to look like an invitation for a ninth birthday party. If you want a nice font, go with Georgia. It’s almost-but-not-quite Times New Roman - _slightly_ more stylized - and has a delightful transitional serif. Sans serif typefaces are irksome. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/493676/35 "2009-04-20T18:13:52Z")
I’m [FONT=“Arial Black”]never [FONT=“Arial Narrow”]certain [FONT=“Book Antiqua”]what [FONT=“Century Gothic”]font [FONT=“Comic Sans MS”]is [FONT=“Courier New”]best [FONT=“Fixedsys”]for [FONT=“Franklin Gothic Medium”]various [FONT=“Garamond”]occassions. [FONT=“Georgia”][FONT=“Impact”]So, [FONT=“Lucida Console”]usually [FONT=“Microsoft Sans Serif”]I’ll [FONT=“Palatino Linotype”]wind [FONT=“System”]up [FONT=“Tahoma”]mixing [FONT=“Times New Roman”]and [FONT=“Trebuchet MS”]matching.[FONT=“Verdana”][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT] Is that wrong? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/493676/36 "2009-04-20T18:24:59Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > There’s one typeface that appears to be almost everywhere in Rust Belt cities, but which is much less common elsewhere, in my observation. > > [Brush Script](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brush_Script). > > I’ve called Brush Script “the Comic Sans of the Rust Belt”. It’s everywhere, and used in contexts where one normally wouldn’t expect to see it. I think its appeal there is the retro character. In other parts of the country, Brush Script is used in an period or ironic retro context. In places like Cleveland and Detroit, there’s no irony; it’s seen as a “classy” font appropriate for everyday use, even in an all-uppercase form. I grew up in Fredonia, and we had a Your Host there that used that font on its business name, or something very like it. I thought for awhile that it was some super-classy restaurant because of it (although by the time I was 10 I had figured it out.) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/493676/37 "2009-04-20T19:06:43Z")
Comic Sans is the font equivalent of dotting your i’s with open circles or, even worse, little hearts. I don’t _hate_ it, per se, but I would never use it, just like I would never dot my i’s with circles. It’s not reflective of my personality. It’s also annoying as hell to read paragraphs written in Comic Sans, as the jiggly nature of the font slows down my reading and gets tiring after awhile. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/493676/38 "2009-04-20T19:13:10Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > If you want a nice font, go with Georgia. It’s almost-but-not-quite Times New Roman - _slightly_ more stylized - and has a delightful transitional serif. Sans serif typefaces are irksome. Interesting. I happen to find seriffed fonts annoying to read on a computer screen - gimme arial or verdana over TNR & Georgia any day. On printed paper though, seriffed fonts read way better than sans-serif. Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/493676/39 "2009-04-20T19:50:31Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > That’s pretty horrible, but I don’t think it was ever a circulation coin. I guess so, because I have never seen this design, on a coin or otherwise. According to **mobo85** it was a child’s design, but unlike [other kid drawings](http://www.nwdcc.org/Jessica%27s%20coin%20reverse.JPG) which made their way to circulation Canadian coins, this one was unknown to me. > [@Zsofia](#): > > Exactly. I answer e-mails from geneaologists all day. We have three or four who write exclusively in Comic Sans. Two of them have e-mail backgrounds. One does it in purple. Professional or amateur genealogists? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Superhero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Superhero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Superhero)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2009, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/493676/40 "2009-04-20T20:18:44Z")
> [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > (Now the font that I really can’t stand is Ariel. I hate those straight, narrow letters. Not an ounce of fun in them). I can’t think of anything for which I’d willingly use Comic Sans, and I think it’s a pretty ugly typeface, overall. But I don’t have any particular seething rage for it, either. I’ll agree with you that Arial is a terrible typeface, but for a different reason. Helvetica is functional, though fairly dull and I’d rather use just about anything but Helvetica if I can help it…and Arial is just a cut-rate knockoff of Helvetica. If I’m going to use a dull typeface, I’d rather use the original than the knockoff. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/493676.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-everyone-hate-comic-sans/493676.md?page=3)