Don’t blame the fonts, blame the designers

16. Apr 2008.

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5 FONTS I WISH WOULD DIE. That blog post was sad to read.

There are times when these so-called ‘ugly fonts’ work quite well. If the target audience love Comic Sans, they are going to get the Comic Sans. Using particular font or avoiding it — based on a personal preference is utterly ridiculous. That is not designing, that is creating an artwork.

Use what your users love. Use what communicates best, even if that’s Comic Sans. And try to live with it.

Marko Dugonjić is a designer specialized in user experience design, web typography and web standards. He runs a nanoscale user interface studio Creative Nights and organizes FFWD.PRO, a micro-conference and workshops for web professionals.

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Ross Johnson
001—2008.04.16.03:37

The post was more tongue and cheek, hence the goofy “font death descriptions.” But just goes to show some people will scan a blog post and draw conclusions with out really taking the time to read and understand it. (This based on a number of reactions, not just your own)

The copy was heavily focused on the situation and misuse, of course suggesting a font should die is humorous exaggeration.

Yes in some situations some of those fonts work, I am reminded of an e-mail blast that saw increase in conversions based on comic sans. However the constant and blatant misuse of the font makes me wish it simple were never invented.

Thanks for the response though and joining in the conversation, your points are good ones even though they don’t really apply to what I was saying. =)

marko
002—2008.04.16.04:12

Ross, we are all responsible not to mislead our readers into wrong conclusions, as you pointed that out. Even though I understood you weren’t meant literally, I would really like to see more positivity and less criticism especially with such sensitive topics.

It’s easy to throw the snowball, but let’s not throw it down the hill :)

Ross Johnson
003—2008.04.16.04:36

Its a twist I decided to put on the post, either it appeals to ones humor or doesn’t. There are thousands of conversations about how to access a design challenge and make typographic choices, I decided to take an entertainment route.

Sorry you didn’t enjoy it, as I enjoyed writing it =)

marko
004—2008.04.16.09:36

“Sorry you didn’t enjoy it, as I enjoyed writing it =)”

And I believe you.

By making such twisted jokes, you automatically choose the controversial route. Now enjoy that route! :D

Jason Beaird
005—2008.04.16.22:38

Being a sarcastic guy with an odd sense of humor, I often put myself in Ross’ position. In fact, I almost wrote a post recently about how “Papyrus is the new Comic Sans”. In one day I saw a billboard, a flyer for a local Edible Arrangements franchise, and an apartment complex entrance that all used Papyrus.

Yes, there are times when every font is called for. I’ve used Comic Sans in a corporate children’s site, and Times New Roman… well, it’s the second-best websafe pc serif face for pre-vista computers. :) However, there is a reason some fonts have a bad rap with designers, and these fonts should be used with caution.

The Kay
006—2008.10.24.12:03

I think it was a good and funny post.
I would rather puke in my own mouth than use some of those fonts.
Well, no not really.

Don’t blame the fonts, blame the designers

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