You're just not my type

Sometime ago I saw this T-shirt which makes a joke out of font types.


I didn't realise that in real life, a certain font type is actually so loathed by some users that there is even an online hate campaign going on.

The target of the campaign is the typeface called Comic Sans.

I may not be a great admirer of Comic Sans, but there are certain situations where the jaunty, friendly font-type is the most natural choice, as when I made materials for a class of primary summer school children a couple of months ago.

So what is all this revulsion about? Simon Garfield argues in an online article for the BBC Magazine that it is partly because the ubiquity of the font type has led to so much misuse. Holly and David Combs, the couple behind the website bancomicsans.com, agree. They say that the misuse of the font is "analogous to showing up for a black tie event in a clown costume".
But then is that the wrong choice or the misuse the fault of the costume or the user? And how about occasions when a clown costume is the best choice, as when you are celebrating your four-year-old child's birthday? Would you wear a black tie instead?
As Simon Garfield says in an online article for the BBC Magazine, "[Comic Sans] looks homely and handwritten, something perfect for things we deem to be fun and liberating. Great for the awnings of toyshops, less good on news websites or on gravestones and the sides of ambulances."
So just make sure that your beloved won't use Comic Sans on your gravestone and you're fine.
But then, maybe why not?