After discussing design details with a client last week, I was asked randomly, “So… What is it exactly that designers hate about Comic Sans? I happen to like it.”
While the though of her liking it made it hard to swallow, the question posed a serious thought for me – What exactly do I dislike about Comic Sans? I mean, come on, it’s just a font, right?!
The question not only caught me off guard, but also made it clear to me that I had no exact answer; Well at least not with a well prepared, thought-out one anyways. After leaving the meeting, I went home and the question lingered with me some more. Poor little font… What is it that I dislike about you?
To ease my pain, I decided to hop on Twitter and ask other designers the same question. Here’s what they had to say.
Why do you dislike Comic Sans?
» @6bdesign - I don’t like because I think it’s ugly. Plus I’ve never found a need to use it for anything
» @jsondy - Comic Sans = amateurish (abused font in Powerpoint); overused
» @keylimecreative - it’s ugly - [me: Why's it ugly?] … because unfortunately it’s easy to read and and shipped with every PC
» @sofaemployed - overuse and abuse [...] looks like Bart’s chalkboard handwriting on The Simpson’s opening
» @chrisong - Never found it suitable for anything other than comics or other humorous material
» @athenaemily - Font isn’t bad in its own right but since it’s over used by kids and students, it looks stupid when applied to professional design
» @mccambridge - I like Comic Sans in the right context… which usually is NOT business. I’d never use it for screen copy. Too hard to read
» @MCGSTUDIO - I totally agree with @athenaemily. It ends up looking cheap and unprofessional.
» @mtnmissy - It’s appropriate type for comics, but that’s about it. There’s an appropriate place for certain fonts.
» @mayhemstudios - usually I don’t find comic sans fit for any real projects, unless it was a parody or for a comic.
» @ommacreative - it’s because anyone can use it, so it looks so unprofessional. It’s a web font now for goodness sake!
» @LogoMotives - Comic Sans: too available, overused; most often used by individuals with no design skills.
» @sonaliagrawal - It’s outdated. I designed my own first website using that font, but no I find it cute and childish.
» @visualrhetor - Comic Sans = Budweiser. MS Paint. Kia. Nickelback. Walmart. Etc…
» @jlsellers - probably the same reason they don’t like Papyrus — overuse, too common.
» @sarahtelldown - so overused
» @StephenTiano - Perhaps I think it’s because it’s so ubiquitous and a font that untrained people used incorrectly.
In response to why clients like Comic Sans
» @tomcarmony - I think there are a lot of other well crafted typefaces out there that fit the same “fun” motif. They like the informal feel…
» @Meroko - because there’s not a lot of options for non-designers in terms of fonts when you don’t know/want to pay
» @athenaemily - they like it because it looks “fun”, it’s a very stylish font in its own right so they might think they designed something by applying it.
» @ommacreative - it’s because anyone can use it, so it looks so unprofessional. It’s a web font now for goodness sake!
» @dragonlady23 - because to non-designers anything that doesn’t look like Arial or Times is cool/unique
» @stevethegreat - I think it’s because it was so heavily used in the early web days to convey that ‘human feel’
Hmmm… Isn’t Helvetica overused?
With “overused” being used over in many of the above responses, I was wondering if you feel Helvetica is overused, and if so, why do you still like it? — I know I’m asking for trouble with this question! 
Related Comic Sans Resources and Links
Is Papyrus the new Comic Sans?
Why Comic Sans?
Fighting the good fight against a very bad font
Feel free to share your feedback and responses of why you dislike/like Comic Sans? Why do you think many clients like it?
Be specific in your responses
First!
Thanks for using my comments!
- Cal
It’s not the overuse that bothers me, it’s the misuse of it, and the frequency that it is misused that irks me. I love helvetica, but while it’s widely used the sort of ubiquity and neutralness doesn’t strike me as much as when I see comic sans. It’s also a bit more difficult to misuse imo.
I wish there was a way to remove comic sans as an option for the general public, a virus maybe, that way I wouldn’t have to read another government report entirely set in it.
Interesting discussion. It’s good to rethink your opinion, to think about the way you think and why you think like that. If you don’t find good arguments, maybe you should consider to review your statement. But if you find good arguments, you remember why you chose for that statement and that will make you more sure/confident about your opinion
it’s simply never fit in with good professional design. i have nothing against it actually, but i do admit that i never even consider to use it while designing both web or graphics. i think it’s just one of those decorative font that just bores us. nothing special.
okay, and because my 11 y/o sister always use it for her friendster page
The difference between Helvetica and Comic Sans is that a) the former is used well and widely by design professionals, whereas the latter is overused poorly by everyone else, and b) Helvetica is a very versatile typeface while Comic Sans has very, very limited application (or should!)
Comic Sans looks “fun” to the untrained eye. To many of us who work with type every day, it’s actually painful to look upon. That image up there at the top? Yeah my eyes are bleeding right now.
nice compilation. it’s true that comic sans is and was created for a specific reason so it’s difficult to make it fit into other contexts…and yes, anyone can use it but just not in the correct way.
oh and btw i love comic sans!
kenroy
Thanks for the inclusion! - J.
kenroy (or anyone else) - I’d love to see an example of “proper” use of Comic Sans that actually looks good. It’ll be a first for me!
Even Apple loves comic sans
http://is.gd/10QU
enjoy!
kenroy
I don’t think designers hate Comic Sans as much as they hate how people use it. It’s the ‘Let’s make this document look less serious and more fun. Ooh, look, Comic Sans!’ that gets the blood pressure rising.
I agree with the people who answered that there is a specific use for Comic Sans.
It was designed for comics etc and this is what I use it for. I am busy with a project where I have to place text on cards for Magic the Gathering type games. Comic Sans is the perfect font for the flavour text.
use it where it should be used and stop whining.
I agree that Comic Sans MS is a good font for certain purposes… I’m developing a fun “He said/She Said” type blog for two realtor experts who want to have a “cartoonish” appearance and image to the blog, and Comic Sans is one of these which would be very appropriate for such a site.
Thanks to @behoff for the Twitter link about this
Ok, Comic Sans, tho it is distinct, it just seem a little to amateurish and easy. Helvetica has similarities of other fonts. What percentage of non-designers or designers 4 that sake can, without a doubt point out Helvetica next to other fonts. Everyone knows Comic Sans.
Hilarious Font Conference Video (http://bit.ly/44PPXn)
Helvetica is a cold, straight font that suggest standarization, and organization. It can be aligned in any direction posible with any element and still needs no compensation. Comic Sans is the exact opposite of it. Try this: use comic sans in diferent alignments, an the only aligment that feels “fine” is centered. I think the problem is not overuse but misuse. I not just hate comic sans, i feel the same with OCRA, OCRB and Papyrus, they’re font with specific limited uses.
Helvetica may be overused but it still looks professional.
I don’t like Comic Sans either, it gives a cheap and unprofessional look. Check out: http://www.bancomicsans.com
For me, Helvetica should only be used in certain conditions:
- only in print (sorry, DesignCubicle, but Helvetica just isn’t common enough to use for websites and with Windows the rendering for small text is pretty crap.)
- only for short texts (Helvetica very easy to read, but not very comfortable to read. So, I don’t think it is very suitable for parapraphs. I’d say: use Helvetica only for headings, sings etc.)
I actually did some research a couple weeks ago when a client asked me to use Comic Sans for a kids book, and I had to explain why that wasn’t a good idea.
Comic Sans was designed by Vincent Connare, a type designer who also designed Trebuchet. Comic Sans was initially designed for use with a comic software package called Rover. In the early development, developers had used Times New Roman in speech bubbles, which with the cartoony look of the software looked very out of place. Vincent developed a Comic book-like typeface for use in speech bubbles, which generally have one or two sentences, not a full paragraph.
Check out Vincent’s article “Why Comic Sans” for a more in-depth look at how this particular typeface came to be, and why it has become the most loved typeface of non-designers across the world.
Like this post, and I dislike comic sans and never use it in anytime even I was using the computer for the first time and before I did the design job.
I’m staying open minded. While I tend to find it too common and over used, I did find myself using it just last week!
This is interesting and is a concept that I never thought about before. It is a very plain and boring font. Why do people use it so often. There are so many interesting fonts out there that I don’t know how this one could properly express any type of design. Hopefully it will just get phased out.
What a great discussion! It’s always good to challenge our assumptions. Especially conventional wisdom and truisms like “comic sans sucks.”
I dislike Comic Sans, but why? For me I dislike it because it’s a cliché. It denotes home made, and yet it is mass produced home made. Like buying new jeans with premade holes in them.
At a personal level I’ve made peace with it. I don’t mind it (or at least can ignore it) if is used as the font in an email from my mom or used in a flyer from a local store or my kids preschool. But seeing it on signage is pretty annoying to me. If a store is going to spend all the money on a sign, why would they use comic sans? I suppose often things like that are templates that sign makers use, but still…
The weirdest use of Comic Sans in my mind is seeing it used on the jerseys of Portugal’s National Basketball Team.
To see some of the uses of Comic Sans in the wild check out this great flickr group dedicated to capturing Comic Sans in all it’s “glory” Comic Sans Flickr Group
It reminds me of Tekton a font used only for children’s print pieces before the age of the web. I do think it has its place for child friendly sites.
I took 4 semesters of Typography before the age of the web and Microsoft, so I have a no love of Microsoft’s version of Garamond, Arial or any other Microsoft system fonts, even though most of my websites have Arial or Verdana.
Thank you for including my comment.
Okay, so who HAS used Comic Sans? I especially ask this question of those of you who said it’s overused and misused, not simply that it’s evil snd you hate it.
I used it earlier this year in just the way it was intended. As Pat pointed out, it was used for dialog bubbles in comics.
And, QC, just what did you use it for last week?
I don’t like it because it doesn’t look like any machine could actually produce it - it’s out of step with everything from the printing press to the PC. But it also doesn’t look like someone hand wrote it either. I like either/or - machine-produced or hand written, not an ugly hybrid.
kenroy - you sure that’s Comic Sans? If it is, it’s no version I’ve seen. /shrug
Good discussion. Lots of good points.
What are lot talking about?
Comic Sans is a fantastic font!
Why? Because if YOUR clients love it, you know they have NO design taste or sense — so it’s a great indicator to you that they’re gonna need some serious direction in their design project
well as the details on the post said it was not comic sans but a similarly designed font. it does still give a great example of how the font can be used.
kenroy
For my wedding invitations, I drew a 4 page comic book detailing how my to-be wife and I met. I made sure not to use Comic Sans, but a font that was closer to what comic books actually use. More than once I had people try to look smart and point out that I used Comic Sans. I had to correct them, explain that my computer has more than ten fonts and that I don’t use Comic Sans. Mainly for many of the reasons stated above.
Helvetica was created, unlike Comic Sans, with the purpose of general use. And that is the fundamental difference between them.
Pat,
GREAT insight! It’s good to see the history of the font.
Brandon,
Great point. I actually had a co-worker say the same thing you did. He said if it’s supposed to look handwritten than write it yourself. I think thats what I dislike about it as well. The fact that something handwritten looks so mechanical — the letters don’t sit well next to each other like actual handwriting would.
There isn’t anything technically wrong with it, its just a social thing within design communities, would be cool to run a contest to see what designers could do with the font if they put their mind to it…
This is a fun and font-insightful read. I am gong to recommend this article to my readers for their Weekend Reading…
http://tpgblog.com/2008/12/19/the-product-guys-weekend-reading-december-19-2008/
Jeremy Horn
The Product Guy
http://tpgblog.com
Lots of lols for the link to bostonphoenix where the author can’t get his UTF-8 right amidst a rant about fonts.
I don’t hate Comic San, but I personally have no use for it at all. I know quite a lot of young teens and kids use it on projects and everything else, but I never did. I always stuck with Times New Roman on projects.
It’s not exactly the overuse problem, because I think a lot of Microsoft fonts are used quite often (Times New Roman, Arial, Tahoma, etc.) It doesn’t bother me, I think those fonts work well when used properly.
I dunno, but that “I always” anything doesn’t really sound like design to me. Sounds more like habit, which is the opposite end of the spectrum from using every font one has, simply because it’s there. Both extremes, I think, go to preventing the use of creative judgment and the artist’s eye from operating.
The biggest argument against in my opinion Comic Sans is a study that I saw which gave the result that it is quite hard for dyslexic people to read.
After I read the study I have been confirming it with trying it on the dyslexic people that I know, they all find it somewhat harder to read than other common fonts.
I loved it …. in the early 90s when I first got a computer with it loaded in the Word processor. But simply put it’s just not elegant or visually appealing. It’s got its place in comic books, hence the name I guess, but nowhere else. Helvetica is the plain and pretty font that can take on different meanings of sophistication if you pair it with the right color and size. It’s like black shoes that you can wear with anything.
From the point of view of a technician, these arguments (for the most part) suck.
We have heard a) how it’s misused, b) the depth of your feelings about the matter, c) your opinions of people who use it, d) why you wouldn’t be caught dead using it, and e) historical vignettes of one sort or another regarding fonts.
With the exception of the writer who pointed out how dyslexic people couldn’t handle Comic Sans very well (without explaining why) there has been not a shred of information on why it is an ill-chosen face.
Tell us about how the absense of serifs causes x; how the slant or squiggles gives cues that do this or that to or for the reader; how kerning or its absence affects legibility; discuss scalability, bolding, italics and so forth; compare and contrast with other fonts that have similar defects or features.
Are you folks professionals? Or are you artsy-fartsy whiners?
I find that comic sans is NOT EVEN appropriate for comics!
it looks AWFUL in comics..
Proof : http://www.biggercheese.com/index.php?comic=707
http://www.misfile.com/?page=791
there’s blambot for comic fonts
There is nothing wrong with this typeface, and I see no real reason for somebody to dislike it. It was overused in the 90s, and it is often used incorrectly by unprofessional designers, but I think many people here are jumping on the bandwagon. Creating an entire website to have the typeface banned is a waste of time and effort. Just get over it.
Because Comic Sans is used so often by amateurs in bad design, design professionals associate it with bad design. It’s not the font itself. If Comic Sans was brand new, we’d all think it’s pretty cool. Clients generally don’t have the same preconceived ideas about fonts. They just see it for what it is.
Poor little font indeed.
false jauntiness
Usually, the “Why do you hate this?” argument leads to something in the bible.
So I thought to myself, “Well, I guess Comic Sans isn’t in the bible,” and burst out laughing when I imagined the bible written entirely in Comic Sans.
Comic Sans makes me want to punch a baby
I stay away from it
Well its simply about human pshycology i guess people might differ with he opinions but for most of the people natural thoughts matter more than any thing.
Comic Sans is over used, but so are alot of fonts. I just don’t like the look of it and ones that look like it. I suppose they have their place, but it just does not fit into my style.
I hate it simply because it is so overused and easy. It gives anyone the illusion or an impression of taste and uniqueness but without any real effort. That they have truly done something noteworthy. They haven’t. Anyone with any small amount of sense of design are thinking just the opposite.
My mother uses this “cute” font and this is a woman that has the entire house in olive greens, oranges and covered in shag carpeting.
So whenever I see it used, I am without any doubt that these same users love olive green shag carpeting. And I bet they have one or two old tired art prints covering their walls.
Actually, I haven’t seen ComicSans for years on my PCs and Apple. A bit of tweaking and knowing what to do - I replaced it with Helvetica.
I’m not a designer, and I’ve never liked Helvetica. I do, on occasion, like Comic Sans, but that’s mostly due to its being a very easy font to read in a chat client, and it doesn’t distort when going up in size.
Oh, so “professionals” like to make hate clubs for fonts…
Yes, it’s not the most attractive font. Yes, it’s less formal. So what? I can understand the desire to hurl when it’s used poorly, but I see nothing wrong with the font itself.
I felt like I used it appropriately in a “fun” design, and now I’m considering replacing it just because other designers will cry about it being used at all. That’s pretty sad.
As far as over-use of a font, that’s just ridiculous, and it has nothing to do with this issue. I’m sure Arial is used FAR more often, and you certainly aren’t complaining about that.
You probably just mean it’s over-used *in bad ways*, which is quite different. It’s not really the font’s fault that it’s been used that way (bad signs and such). Any “playful” or “informal” font could have easily taken it’s place.
To say it’s simply Comic Sans that is the problem, just seems wrong. What about the person who mentioned Blambot? If any of those fonts were included in Microsoft’s products, they’d most likely have seen the same abuse.
Well, I guess if you really hate it, then *any* use is “over-use”. So there’s probably not much point arguing if you’re already set on hating it.