News: 0175303407

  ARM Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set fire to him and he's warm for the rest of his life (Terry Pratchett, Jingo)

Comic Sans Got the Last Laugh

(Tuesday October 22, 2024 @05:20PM (msmash) from the closer-look dept.)


On July 4, 2012, CERN physicist Fabiola Gianotti announced a major quantum field theory discovery using a PowerPoint presentation in Comic Sans, sparking both mockery and debate. The font, created by Vincent Connare for Microsoft Bob in 1994, featured deliberately imperfect letters [1]inspired by comic books. Comic Sans shipped with Windows 95 and [2]exploded in popularity as personal computing democratized typography . A backlash emerged as the font appeared on everything from funeral notices to museum signs, culminating in Dave and Holly Combs's "Ban Comic Sans" campaign.



[1] https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2024/10/comic-sans-debate/680319/

[2] https://slashdot.org/FabiolaGianotti



"MISSION ACCOMPLISHED", but in a dumb font (Score:3)

by Pseudonymous Powers ( 4097097 )

We fought a world war about it, and we can't even get rid of actual Nazis. What makes you think we can get rid of font snobs by waiting?

Soup Kitchens (Score:3, Insightful)

by bill_mcgonigle ( 4333 ) *

Kudos to the physicist for doing real work and not wasting everybody's time with nonsense.

The rest of them should be feeding the homeless if they have so much extra time on their hands.

Hear me out ... (Score:4, Informative)

by UnknownSoldier ( 67820 )

.... I've actually seen one place where a similar handwriting font is used and it is OK. Before you get your pitchforks:

The awesome indie game Terraria uses a font based on [1]Andy (typeface) [wikipedia.org] for its UI and it is perfectly fine. (Apparently Pokemon game cartridges also use it according to the Wiki.)

The problem is 99% of the time time it shouldn't be used; clueless people don't understand why they aren't being taken seriously.

A good rule-of-thumb is:

* Sans Serif for Screens

* Serif for Print

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_(typeface)

Re: (Score:3)

by aaarrrgggh ( 9205 )

I actually saw something similar where it was actually well composed visually. Then I worked with an engineer who would write reports with it...

Re: (Score:2)

by 93 Escort Wagon ( 326346 )

Twenty years ago, I walked into a web developer job where the website had been done 100% with Comic Sans... guess what my first order of business was?

Re: (Score:2)

by rossdee ( 243626 )

and a monospaced font for numbers...

wait a decade (Score:3)

by MerlynEmrys67 ( 583469 )

This is a new slashdot article on news that was reported 12 years ago?

This has to be a dupe

Re: (Score:2)

by awwshit ( 6214476 )

That is quite a backlog.

I don't get it. (Score:3)

by lsllll ( 830002 )

The subject says "Comic Sans Got the Last Laugh", but there's nothing alluding to why in the summary. And the 2nd link in the summary goes to this very same Slashdot page, thus it's a circular link. Am I missing something?

Re: (Score:2)

by awwshit ( 6214476 )

The comedy?

Re: (Score:2)

by Barny ( 103770 )

Should have made the summary render in Comic Sans.

So... literally (Score:3)

by fahrbot-bot ( 874524 )

> announced a major quantum field theory discovery ... in Comic Sans

Comic Sans is a font of knowledge. :-)

The Cavs' owner rates a mention here (Score:1)

by wrsi ( 10382619 )

When LeBron James left for Miami in 2010, owner Dan Gilbert of the Cleveland Cavaliers wrote a sort of jilted-owner open letter missive in which he described the "cowardly betrayal" by James. That letter was in Comic Sans MS.

If memory serves, Gilbert described how the Cavaliers would win a championship before LeBron... Who, on his return a few years later, led the franchise to its sole championship. Whether that amounts to Comic Sans winning out in the end, I doubt. LBJ had won already in Miami. (Shrug.)

Re: (Score:2)

by 93 Escort Wagon ( 326346 )

> LBJ had won already in Miami. (Shrug.)

Was that before or after his term as President?

People care too much (Score:2)

by Baron_Yam ( 643147 )

It's a font. If it's legible to the average person, who the hell actually cares about swash and serif? People in graphic design, who probably imagine other people care when generally we really, really don't.

Under deadline pressure for the next week. If you want something, it can wait.
Unless it's blind screaming paroxysmally hedonistic...