People who hate Comic Sans are using it wrong, creators say

Ask people what their most hated font is and you’re likely to receive one unanimous answer: Comic Sans.

It may be the most controversial font out there but its creators reckon the reason you don’t like it is because it’s being used incorrectly.

Talking to The Guardian, typographer Vincent Connare and Microsoft Program Manager Tom Stevens said that it is the improper use of Comic Sans that rubs people up the wrong way, citing CERN scientists using it to announce the discover of Higgs Boson as one such “inappropriate” use.

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“It does get misused, usually because somebody just loves it. Things like the slideshow at Cern, where they announced the Higgs boson in Comic Sans, that was inappropriate,” Stevens said.

“Type should do exactly what it’s intended to do,” Connare added. “People use it inappropriately: if they don’t understand how type works, it won’t have any power or meaning to them.

“I once heard a guy at a Rothko show say: “I could have done that.” He clearly doesn’t know anything about art. He’ll probably use Comic Sans without realising it’s wrong in certain circumstances.”

But rather than being offended, the backlash to the child-like scrawl (which includes hate groups and general disdain) has tickled the font creators.

“The backlash, the level of hatred, was just amazing,” Stevens said. “And quite frankly funny. I couldn’t believe people could be so worked up over something as simple as a font.”

Despite designing the font, Connare has only used it once: when complaining to Sky about his broadband.