People love to hate Comic Sans, so it’s no surprise when readers question its use in my latest book, Intertwingled. I started using Comic Sans because I enjoy its informality. It’s breezy and comfortable and fun, sorta like wearing shorts. Later, when I learned it’s mocked and reviled by many designers, I decided to double down on Comic Sans.
Figure 2-24. We use radio buttons when check boxes or sliders would reveal the truth.
I see hostility towards Comic Sans as a type of prejudice. Like racism and sexism, fontism exists on a spectrum. We all have it. We all mistake surface for substance. We all judge a book by its cover. There is no cure. You can’t simply stop being a fontist. You can’t escape the category. But we can move the slider. Awareness, engagement, and creative categorization can deflate prejudice. So can a sense of humor. We’re all in this together, so let’s get started. Fight the power. Wear shorts. Use Comic Sans today!
Strange Connections
- The 4th edition of Information Architecture for the World Wide Web will be published in 2015. I’m happy to be working with Lou Rosenfeld and Jorge Arango on the new polar bear book.
- My book tour starts this week with stops in Indianapolis, Monterey, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, and San Francisco. A week later, I’m flying off to England to talk in the town where I was born.