The Comic Sans it is probably the most controversial typographic character in the history of digital graphics. Born in 1994 in the workshops of Microsoft Corporation from an idea of the designer Vincent Connza, the Comic Sans Mt It was designed for a specific audience: novice users, often children, who approached the computer for the first time. Yet this playful and apparently harmless font soon became a symbol of improper use of the typography, arousing a wave of criticism by designers, typographers and enthusiasts. If you have ever received an invitation to a party, read a school billboard or see a PowerPoint presentation in Comic Sans, then you know what we are talking about. Paradoxically, his “ugliness” declared seems to have guaranteed him a place in the history of information technology and in the pop culture.
The birth of the Comic Sans Font
To understand Comic Sans, we must return in the mid -90s, when digital graphics began to enter the everyday life of people. Vincent Connzaa typographer who worked in the Microsoft font team received the task of planning characters for applications such as Microsoft Publisher (a graphic software) e Microsoft Encarta (a multimedia encyclopedia for Windows produced by the Redmond giant from 1993 to 2009). During the development of a program called Microsoft Bobdestined to make computers more accessible to children, to connare noticed an inconsistency: a speaking dog in cartoon style communicated through texts of text written in … Times New Roman. A serious character, that is, with small decorative features at the ends of the letters, known for its serious and formal tone. A cartoon dog who spoke like a wise master?! It didn’t work.
Driven by this dissonance, History drew inspiration from the comics he had in the officein particular Watchmen And The return of the Dark Knightwhere i texts were handwritten by specialized calligraphs. Instead of directly copying those characters, for an ethical question he chose to reinterpret them digitally, drawing each letter with the mouse. In remembering those moments, Connare said:
I didn’t have to make straight lines, I didn’t have to make everything seemed right, and that’s what I found fun. I was breaking every rule of typography
There were no preparatory sketches or rigorous patterns: everything was improvised, deliberately breaking the classic rules of the typography. For example, he decided that the letters “P” and “Q” did not necessarily have to be specular, as tradition imposed.
Comic Sans, however, was completed too late for Microsoft Bob, but soon found a second life. Movie Maker programmers, an application dedicated to simplified video assembly, made use of pop-up windows. Shortly thereafter, it was included in the Windows 95 package, and from there it became a system character distributed with numerous Microsoft software, including Publisher and Internet Explorer. His informal and friendly tone made him immediately popular among the least experienced users, in particular among the secretaries and assistants who dealt with e-mails and invitations in the company. Hence its massive diffusion in every type of communication, even those for which it was completely unsuitable.
The improper use of the Comic Sans
Used without criterion on tombstones, curriculum vitae, scientific conferences (such as the famous presentation of CERN on the Higgs boson), the Comic Sans began to arouse the indignation of professionals in the sector. In 2002 even a protest movement called Ban Comic Sansled by Holly And David Combswhich compared the improper use of the font to “present yourself at a gala dinner dressed as clown». Criticisms did not only concern aesthetics, but also the lack of awareness in its use. Since the typography plays a specific communicative role, and each font transmits a message, using a playful character like Comic Sans in a solemn context is actually considered a mistake, and not a creative choice, by many professional graphics.
Despite the criticisms, Connare has never denied his creation. Indeed, it is proud of it, because Comic Sans has hit its initial goal: to speak in a simple and immediate way to less experienced users. This is called a “shouting” font, precisely because it breaks with the sobriety of the classical typography. And there is another interesting thing about the Comic Sans: it seems that it has also proved to be useful in the educational field to help dyslexic children, who find its large and irregular forms more readable than more “classic” writing characters.
Asked by the British newspaper The Guardian On his creation, Connare ironically told an anecdote that, according to him, well illustrates the usefulness of Comic Sans on certain occasions:
I used Comic Sans only once. I had problems changing my broadband in Sky, so I wrote them a letter in Comic Sans, saying how disappointed I was. I received a refund £ 10. In these cases, I would recommend it.
Today, more than thirty years after its creation, Comic Sans is still installed on millions of computers all over the world. He has gone through decades of criticism, memes, ironic cups and satirical shirts. Yet, like any cultural element that has become viral, he managed to leave a mark. It has gone from practical solution to pop symbol, from typographic experiment to global phenomenon. And perhaps, just like certain 90s musical songs that at the time made it shiver and today they tear us up a nostalgic smile, even Comic Sans could experience an unexpected flame return. Maybe…
