This question is for the designers and the typographers among you. Why is it that you hate the comic sans font so much? It is the only font that is extremely legible at small sizes, is pleasant to look at and can be read without giving one a headache, and yet there seems to be this almost virulent bunch of people who are hell-bent on eliminating this happy font from the web. Why is that?
I don't find any logic in several of their arguments:
1. It is ugly: How can such a legible font be "ugly". The word "ugly" implies loathsomeness and annoyance - both of which, are far away from your mind when you read text typed in comic sans. It's so darn easy to read it. No effort is required to make out what the alphabets are. It's so eye-friendly.
2. It's inappropriately used in varied contexts: How do you define inappropriate? Who defined what is formal and what is informal? Fonts are not equivalent to clothes, that analogy never works. Is eye-friendliness and ease of reading only meant for kids? What happens to us as adults? Do we intentionally want to ruin our moods and eyesights by being forced to read fonts that don't even have breathing whitespace?
3. It's ill-designed: Again, which font is the "best-designed" according to you? Why is it that only the designers complain ad-nauseum about this beautiful down-to-earth font and the general "lay-public" uniformly love it? Why can't typography be user-friendly instead of being snob-friendly?
I ask you, all you people heading to the Typography convention next month, here in Buffalo. Give me some logical arguments and not snob statements as to why I should not use this font. I sent out two international reports to the scientific community using this font and none of them had any problems with it. I even found a LaTeX version of the comic sans font! Why do you view it as a fly in the typographic ointment? I swear I shall be sneering at you if you say its a "kid font" because being an adult does not mean you punish your eyes!
Tinypliny's Journal
My Podcast Link
06/19/2008 16:03 #44721
The Comic Sans Font.Category: whine
06/17/2008 10:57 #44686
A year in retrospectCategory: goals
It's exactly 365+1 days since I physically moved to Buffalo. It's time to list the the ten things I hate the most about myself (and want to try to eliminate this year in Buffalo.)
1. Unwarranted Snobbery.
2. Occasional rude behaviour.
3. Cutting into people's speech
4. Crazy Multitasking
5. Poor time management and not finishing tasks on time.
6. Confused explanations.
7. Saying the first thing that comes to my mind.
8. Sticking with damaging influences
9. Identifying priorities and then not taking action.
10. Eating out too much
1. Unwarranted Snobbery.
2. Occasional rude behaviour.
3. Cutting into people's speech
4. Crazy Multitasking
5. Poor time management and not finishing tasks on time.
6. Confused explanations.
7. Saying the first thing that comes to my mind.
8. Sticking with damaging influences
9. Identifying priorities and then not taking action.
10. Eating out too much
metalpeter - 06/17/08 18:43
I say you can give more reflection and give 10 positive things, you could even give 10 things that you are not sure about. You could give 10 things you learned.
I say you can give more reflection and give 10 positive things, you could even give 10 things that you are not sure about. You could give 10 things you learned.
chico - 06/17/08 12:31
How about a complementary, complimentary Top 10 of the most awesomest things about yourself or your life that you want to focus on even more during the next 365 days? I promise I won't count it as "Unwarranted Snobbery". :-)
Love the comic strip btw
How about a complementary, complimentary Top 10 of the most awesomest things about yourself or your life that you want to focus on even more during the next 365 days? I promise I won't count it as "Unwarranted Snobbery". :-)
Love the comic strip btw
james - 06/17/08 11:05
Despite your harsh top ten list, I still think you are pretty damn awesome Ms.Pliny.
Despite your harsh top ten list, I still think you are pretty damn awesome Ms.Pliny.
06/15/2008 13:13 #44655
Low Wall VaultingCategory: goals
My daily route from home to office includes jumping down a low concrete wall around 3.5 feet deep. I am fascinated by this particular wall. It has gradually grown to a point where I am conscious of the irrationality of it all. Nevertheless, I cannot get rid of this jumping OCD. It saves me a whole minute of having to go around the wall, like civilized folk might. Instead, I take wild pleasure in leaping off the damn thing every single day.
It took me a while to get addicted. I used to be the civilized around-the-low-wall-walker last July. By August, it dawned on me that I was being wimpy. More importantly, the extra minute of sleep I might earn from this simple gravity-friendly maneuver became very attractive. I took the plunge in early August and haven't stopped since then. I leapt in the sunlight, in the rain, in the snow and also on the ice (and nearly broke my knee when I slipped and skidded over the ice on my knees, propelled by the force of my leap, but that's beside the point now that its summer!)
In my 9 minute walk to my department, this is the high point I look forward to. It's almost like a drug. The wall beckons me to free-fall once more. Those 2 seconds are awesome. I transform into an astronaut repairing a space toilet on Mondays, a soldier jumping into the enemy trenches for a hostile ambush on Tuesdays, a long-distance marathon runner from Nigeria jumping into a final ditch before the victorious lap on Wednesdays, a showgirl on the set of a musical in a dramatic heart-wrenching moment on Thursdays and an adventurer jumping into treacherous quicksands in the amazon forests on Fridays. I can be whoever I want to be those couple seconds. There are no limits. Time stretches into the infinity of chaotic possibility.
But coming back home, it's a different story. I cannot vault the low wall. I just don't have the grace or the skill. It has tormented me for so many months now. I want to be able to vault over the thing with a one-armed maneuver like they do in the movies. For the thirty seconds that I walk around the wall, I gaze at it longingly and wish that I were able to vault it... every single day. This might seem like a tad bit unhinged of a life-goal but I checked and found that souls all over the interweb seem to have similar lofty goals.
There's even a DIY about it!!!
It's a nifty little move. First you put your hand over the fence/wall and hoist yourself up over it using your arm to balance your weight, swinging both your legs to the other side. Incredibly sexy. And I am nowhere close to being able to do it. Not for the lack of wishing, because I do *that* everyday. I think I need to start trying at least. The skinned wrists and palms will be worth every minute of the glory of being able vault the wall some day! Got any tips for me?? :)
It took me a while to get addicted. I used to be the civilized around-the-low-wall-walker last July. By August, it dawned on me that I was being wimpy. More importantly, the extra minute of sleep I might earn from this simple gravity-friendly maneuver became very attractive. I took the plunge in early August and haven't stopped since then. I leapt in the sunlight, in the rain, in the snow and also on the ice (and nearly broke my knee when I slipped and skidded over the ice on my knees, propelled by the force of my leap, but that's beside the point now that its summer!)
In my 9 minute walk to my department, this is the high point I look forward to. It's almost like a drug. The wall beckons me to free-fall once more. Those 2 seconds are awesome. I transform into an astronaut repairing a space toilet on Mondays, a soldier jumping into the enemy trenches for a hostile ambush on Tuesdays, a long-distance marathon runner from Nigeria jumping into a final ditch before the victorious lap on Wednesdays, a showgirl on the set of a musical in a dramatic heart-wrenching moment on Thursdays and an adventurer jumping into treacherous quicksands in the amazon forests on Fridays. I can be whoever I want to be those couple seconds. There are no limits. Time stretches into the infinity of chaotic possibility.
But coming back home, it's a different story. I cannot vault the low wall. I just don't have the grace or the skill. It has tormented me for so many months now. I want to be able to vault over the thing with a one-armed maneuver like they do in the movies. For the thirty seconds that I walk around the wall, I gaze at it longingly and wish that I were able to vault it... every single day. This might seem like a tad bit unhinged of a life-goal but I checked and found that souls all over the interweb seem to have similar lofty goals.
There's even a DIY about it!!!
It's a nifty little move. First you put your hand over the fence/wall and hoist yourself up over it using your arm to balance your weight, swinging both your legs to the other side. Incredibly sexy. And I am nowhere close to being able to do it. Not for the lack of wishing, because I do *that* everyday. I think I need to start trying at least. The skinned wrists and palms will be worth every minute of the glory of being able vault the wall some day! Got any tips for me?? :)
drew - 06/16/08 09:23
We should start a short commute club. (even if I don't think I break the 10 minute mark, I do feel glad that my walk takes less time than most people's drives.
We should start a short commute club. (even if I don't think I break the 10 minute mark, I do feel glad that my walk takes less time than most people's drives.
james - 06/15/08 21:38
Just dive into it Ms.Pliny. A few scrapes, bruises, and fractures are just part of the game. ^^
Just dive into it Ms.Pliny. A few scrapes, bruises, and fractures are just part of the game. ^^
paul - 06/15/08 21:07
and I thought my 5 minute walking commute was long. How do you make it that far - with a wall jump as well.
and I thought my 5 minute walking commute was long. How do you make it that far - with a wall jump as well.
janelle - 06/15/08 20:20
Really, you ought to be a writer...screw this cancer research thing and write the Great American Novel!
Really, you ought to be a writer...screw this cancer research thing and write the Great American Novel!
boxerboi - 06/15/08 17:48
That is an awesome commute--9 minutes walking.
That is an awesome commute--9 minutes walking.
06/10/2008 21:42 #44608
Bike sans BrakesCategory: cycling
I have the prettiest bicycle on the entire planet. No... make that the sexiest bicycle in the entire solar system. It's coloured a rich striking blue of copper sulphate with a metallic sleek grey accent. It's an aerodynamically designed complex machine with precision gears and a derailleur that looks as if it might be a futuristic part that broke away from the Kibo module. You lay your eyes on it and you know that you just want to ride it.
ALAS, appearances can be deceptive. The deception, in this case, is that I (the most non-mechanically oriented freak there ever was and will be on the planet) put it together! That means that the brake pads are not evenly spaced from the wheel. They rub and grate on the wheel every time I try to cycle. The sound that emanates resembles a sickening friction rub of... well, a warped brake assembly. I have tried many many tricks and tactics to make them not behave in this bizarre manner but as can be expected, I am having no luck fixing them.
Does any (e:strip)per have a fair idea about how to rectify this brackish situation? Do they know of any person or establishment within walking distance of downtown (~2-3 miles) who can take a look at my bike and tell me what I need to do, without charging $45... oh, and is likely to be available on a Saturday or a Sunday??!!
My ghost-of-the-biking-future shall be eternally grateful for any ideas, hints, directions, general advice etc..
-TP
(**this is where you think of someone and enthusiastically type away comments to this post. NUDGE NUDGE. Ahem.**)
You lay your eyes on it and you know that you just want to ride it.ALAS, appearances can be deceptive. The deception, in this case, is that I (the most non-mechanically oriented freak there ever was and will be on the planet) put it together! That means that the brake pads are not evenly spaced from the wheel. They rub and grate on the wheel every time I try to cycle. The sound that emanates resembles a sickening friction rub of... well, a warped brake assembly. I have tried many many tricks and tactics to make them not behave in this bizarre manner but as can be expected, I am having no luck fixing them.
Does any (e:strip)per have a fair idea about how to rectify this brackish situation? Do they know of any person or establishment within walking distance of downtown (~2-3 miles) who can take a look at my bike and tell me what I need to do, without charging $45... oh, and is likely to be available on a Saturday or a Sunday??!!
My ghost-of-the-biking-future shall be eternally grateful for any ideas, hints, directions, general advice etc..
-TP
(**this is where you think of someone and enthusiastically type away comments to this post. NUDGE NUDGE. Ahem.**)
tinypliny - 06/15/08 13:15
TWO not Tow. Aaargh
TWO not Tow. Aaargh
tinypliny - 06/15/08 13:14
Tow votes for each shop... I am torn!
Tow votes for each shop... I am torn!
jenks - 06/11/08 20:48
i was going to suggest campus wheelworks too. They'll probably charge you something, but they're good guys and they seem to go good work at fair prices.
i was going to suggest campus wheelworks too. They'll probably charge you something, but they're good guys and they seem to go good work at fair prices.
chico - 06/11/08 09:14
I've heard good things about Rick's and now that it's in the old Neo space at Allen and Franklin I'm even more in favor of going there. My next-door neighbors said that Rick's does good tune-ups etc. for fair prices.
I've heard good things about Rick's and now that it's in the old Neo space at Allen and Franklin I'm even more in favor of going there. My next-door neighbors said that Rick's does good tune-ups etc. for fair prices.
boxerboi - 06/10/08 22:10
campus wheelworks on elmwood and cleveland. They fixed my flat tires last summer on the spot for like 10 bucks.
campus wheelworks on elmwood and cleveland. They fixed my flat tires last summer on the spot for like 10 bucks.
mrmike - 06/10/08 22:10
Rick's on Allen is pretty good
Rick's on Allen is pretty good
06/09/2008 23:52 #44603
The Crazy Dragonfly Office FreakoutCategory: office
A HUMONGOUS blackish dragonfly flew into our office today morning. I had the official freakout of the year. I ran out promptly, slammed the door to the corridor and shut my officemate in the office with the ginormous dragonfly. I am SO not the ideal officemate. He probably hates me now. I couldn't help it!! Metallic loud buzzing coming from a HUGE insect that FLIES is very disconcerting. I believe I was reading about genomic mutations when it made its royal loud entry through the window. I admit that the subject matter may have had some effect on the insanity level of my freakout.
It looked somewhat like this:
My department administrator was in the corridor for some reason and I dragged her into my office. I think I might have coerced her into climbing the table and chasing the dragonfly out the window using a yoghurt box (that smelled like some very good coffee from Guercio's, in case you were interested.)
After it left, I googled it and initially thought that it might have been the Southern Hawker (Aeshna cyanea), but a friend who saw it up close didn't notice any blue on its body or colourful markings.
OR it could be the Giant Dragonfly - Petalura gigantea. The article says that two species exist in North America. The picture above is from this page:
Or it could be this species from Malaysia - Tetragynacantha plagiata. Do you think someone brought it in their suitcase from somewhere??
It blows my mind on many levels.
a) That could have been an ENDANGERED species we chased out!!
b) It could have been a bonafide Malaysian or Australian insect!!
c) We could have caught it and donated it to the zoo/or the local insect greenhouse!!
d) Damn, that was ONE TOTALLY ridiculous officemate alienating freakout.
e) Yep. I still hate metallic buzzing flying HUGE insects. They can ONLY be one of these adjectives... NOT ALL!! That is just unfair! Arrgh.
It looked somewhat like this:
My department administrator was in the corridor for some reason and I dragged her into my office. I think I might have coerced her into climbing the table and chasing the dragonfly out the window using a yoghurt box (that smelled like some very good coffee from Guercio's, in case you were interested.)
After it left, I googled it and initially thought that it might have been the Southern Hawker (Aeshna cyanea), but a friend who saw it up close didn't notice any blue on its body or colourful markings.
OR it could be the Giant Dragonfly - Petalura gigantea. The article says that two species exist in North America. The picture above is from this page:
Or it could be this species from Malaysia - Tetragynacantha plagiata. Do you think someone brought it in their suitcase from somewhere??
It blows my mind on many levels.
a) That could have been an ENDANGERED species we chased out!!
b) It could have been a bonafide Malaysian or Australian insect!!
c) We could have caught it and donated it to the zoo/or the local insect greenhouse!!
d) Damn, that was ONE TOTALLY ridiculous officemate alienating freakout.
e) Yep. I still hate metallic buzzing flying HUGE insects. They can ONLY be one of these adjectives... NOT ALL!! That is just unfair! Arrgh.
tinypliny - 06/10/08 22:57
LOL. I am so glad you were not around to witness my wimpiness and backstabbing and coercion tactics. :) I am SO not the person you seem to think I am. I am just a good liar and drama queen. Hehehe...
LOL. I am so glad you were not around to witness my wimpiness and backstabbing and coercion tactics. :) I am SO not the person you seem to think I am. I am just a good liar and drama queen. Hehehe...
boxerboi - 06/10/08 22:11
aww man i miss all the fun!
aww man i miss all the fun!
paul - 06/10/08 18:28
The just grow here. I see them around the campus now and then.
The just grow here. I see them around the campus now and then.
jenks - 06/10/08 08:34
hehe... they are huge, but they don't scare me b/c they don't bite or crawl on me. sorry you were traumatized.
hehe... they are huge, but they don't scare me b/c they don't bite or crawl on me. sorry you were traumatized.
Gee. I stirred the hornet's nest with a comic book font. Hahaha...
Nice points, (e:Jim). (or snobbery, well done?!! ;-))I don't think I knew all of that. I just came upon the whole "put the sans back in comic sans" campaign and was pretty needled, considering it does happen to be my favourite font. It doesn't have specific italics and bold versions? That is interesting... So the output pretty much depends on what the recipient's comp can or cannot do. Does it mean that the font has the capacity to look disfigured in some older computers? What font do you usually use for your regular reports etc.? My audience is uniformly above 50 years so all of them are hypermetropic (+3.0D or more) and easily irritable. What would you recommend for such a scenario?
@(e:metalpeter): I love making out what fonts have been used, in random documents. (Even though I am not professional/amateur anything related to web-design or typography). It's just a lot of geeky fun. I also read design blogs, A List Apart and browse the CSS Zen Garden just for the sheer fun of it. (Especially, when I am running short of time on a deadline and feel the massive need to be distracted anyway.)
@(e:Drew): I LIKE the Papyrus font AS WELL!! Talk about being the most average person from the middle of the bell curve. Hehehee.
@(e:Zobar): I think there are some classy and tastefully done websites out there with the Comic Sans Font. (Eg. my own google group. HEHEHE, what did you expect?! And also this site here: :::link::: ) And holy molly! My next favourite might well be the HIGHWAY FONT!!! It is interesting that you bring up the point about dyslexia and easy readability. If you read through these guidelines here: :::link::: you realize that writing and composing documents that are dyslexia-friendly is not really a whole lot different from the guidelines for writing well! And LaTeX rocks. \m/ I think people who don't get this and stick to microshit word are just in a huge state of denial - especially when they are composing their 300 page dissertation in word and swearing every couple seconds about some messed-up format.
@(e:Jason): Who knows... Maybe that is why Marvel Comics is as successful as it is. Hehehe...
I agree that I probably should be worrying about my content, but sometimes, it is fun to project your worries to other aspects of your writing so that you can willfully ignore the sheer mediocrity of what you have just composed! What are your favourite fonts?
@(e:felly): Wow. I think that's why I like it. It's not all uniform and looks somewhat imperfect and full of flaws... more human, perhaps.
It's as if you are reading through the text in Comic Sans and almost expect the writer to have crossed out some words at some point, thought through the composition and handed you the finished product, in triumph. Very non-sterile and colourful! It's like falling in love with a scar on your lover's arm/leg and associating happiness and familiarity with it.
@(e:joshua): I need to check this font out. Is it because all the urgent faxes in your office addressed to you are in this font? :)
@(e:jenks): Very subtle indeed. (e:jim)'s made quite a few points that I never even thought about. Maybe we should have our very own Typography Thursdays and also our own Typography convention. Let's pip those suckers at the Hyatt!
wow. that's a lot of passion about fonts.
But jim is right. it's very subtle art. Way more goes into it than most people would ever realize. It's pretty cool, actually.
I hate Lucinda Fax.
(e:jim), thank you for so eloquently putting all the educated reasons for the inappropriateness of Comic Sans.
When I look at a piece of type that is put together well, my eyes flow through it evenly. Its neat and well organized and there are no odd spaces or gaps or odd curves of a random u sticking out in the middle. Words written in comic sans just stick out wherever it wants. Leaves holes in the middle of words. It just is not a visually appealing text.
I don't think it should be banned, because it does provide a sense of happiness to those who think the world of it. I think anyone who is serious about the visual appearance of their type can see that it just doesn't work well. That is their choice to make though.
Haha!
My butt cheeks are crushing walnuts as you read this, Jason.
Clearly it was meant to be a limited use font. I would never even consider using it in my work. Could you imagine handing a bank a proposal looking like it came out of Marvel Comics? I lol just thinking about it.
What you're stuck on are the practical elements, which are important to you, and ignoring the contextual and aesthetic elements which are important to other people. You have to consider your audience. There are good alternatives.
Tiny, it's just a font, and in the big picture it is about the 12387163128th thing you should care about unless you are a graphic designer, professional or amateur, or simply a fan of typography.
I wouldn't ban it either, and I know some people have their butt cheeks clenched so tight over it they could crush a walnut. I'm not one of those people. As a web developer it is just one of those things you have to be practical about.
For websites, Comic Sans screams 'I am an amateur.' But it's not because of the font itself, but because it's usually surrounded by background images, animated mailbox icons, 'men at work' icons, and even the occasional background sound. For print production, the message is instead 'I don't really care,' 'I only care enough to switch from Times New Roman,' or perhaps 'I want this to be cute but I don't know where to find any other fonts.' But it's not the font so much as where you find it: church bake sales, public libraries, garage sales. It's to the point now where people pay attention to the font rather than the message.
Think about Highway Gothic :::link::: - it's easy to read, bold, professional, and even kind of interesting. But nobody's going to use it in a corporate newsletter, because of where else it gets used. People will look at your newsletter and go, 'is this the highway font?'
Comic Sans is very easy for dyslexics to read, either on-screen or in print, due to its asymmetry. On-screen, even more legible fonts are widely available [the Lucida series in particular :::link:::].
:::link:::
:::link:::
On another note: LaTeX?? Dang man, I used LaTeX in college which was not that long ago, and nobody even knows what that is anymore! I'm all: LaTeX? and they're all condescending like: um no we just type it into Word. Fucking whippersnappers don't know what's good for them.
- Z
Tiny, I used to like the font, but got tired of it. It has been over-used.
Jim, that was an impassioned and educated response. I never realized a lot of what you pointed out, but sure enough, it's there.
I would like it if there were more readable fonts that were also casual. My current favorite is Trebuchet.
I used to really like Papyrus, but it is WAY overused now.
I think Jim does a pretty good job saying why people don't like it. I myself will say I can't see a font and tell what one it is just by how it looks. I do think there is a difference between what is used on a screen and when something is printed. Hey using one of the those handwriting fonts is great if you want to write someone a letter or sign your name, but they can be hard to read and so it goes to the bottom of my list along with anything that makes boxes and lines well expect webdings I think it is that makes pictures (mircosoft word). I think that some fun fonts can be good to use but they have to be used in the right way. Yes fancy is good but if it starts to make things hard to read then it shouldn't be used.
There are specific ways that type is designed to be readable - proportionality and spacing, line thicknesses and complementary weights and styles. It's a system which includes bold, italic, display and text alternates. Each individual weight and size of every one of those alternates is carefully sized and re-proportioned to create a coherent and efficient system.
Typography is design, it is a subtle art that aims to be an invisible container for the words which it carries. Design is not 'making things pretty', it's making things work. The best design goes unnoticed. A door handle which you don't have to even think about how to grab onto to open. A website with an easy checkout process. A font which is compact and efficient for reading tiny details on a map, or another that's clear and loud from across a train station.
Comic Sans does not stay out of the way, it intrudes and obscures. And this is why: it is a bad typeface, it is not actually readable compared to other possible font choices due to bad kerning and equally sized downstrokes and horizontals. Every ounce of research into readability speaks to this fact and the need for those distinguishing features.
More reasons: it was not designed as a book face, it's a one-off suitable for only one purpose. The designer of comic sans has said that he did not design it for such a purpose. It has no italic face, no bold face, and no weighting at different point sizes. The computer fakes the italic and bold variants by just slanting or thickening the characters willy-nilly.
There was no thought put into its creation, in terms of use as a text font.
I am biting my tongue here at your accusations of snobbery, but let me just add, to snob it up even some more, that typography is one of the oldest technical skills in the world, dating back to the printing presses of ancient China and middle-ages Europe. It matters. What makes good typography is buried in the tiniest details, but it is those small things that the foundation of the most mighty power of human kind is laid down: the written word.