Graphic Design Tuesday: 3 Reasons to Use Comic Sans
photo source: ban comic sans website
Designers: Hold your critique until I finish my article before you start blasting me.
Non-Designers: Read on…
1. Use Comic Sans if you are not a graphic designer.
This is really the #1 reason to use comic sans. If you aspire to be a graphic designer, one simple tip is that everything you design communicates; images, copy, color, and typography. To understand what you’re using, you have to know it’s history. An image from the Vietnam war showing the execution of a child is going to communicate some very strong underlying message. So if you have a serious message to convey, using a font that was based on the lettering in a graphic novel/comic book* isn’t your best bet. This is a sure fire way to ensure that people know, without a doubt, you are not a graphic designer. At least….not yet.
2. Use Comic Sans if you are writing about Comic Sans in an article (or making signs for kids).
Seriously. You could try to write an article about Comic Sans without using Comic Sans, but, as stated in #1 above, to be a great graphic designer, you must communicate and illustrate.
3. Use Comic Sans if you are trying to get people’s attention and stir people up.
Comic Sans is one of those fonts that really get people riled up. Why? Because of it’s misuse. An entire movement was started in 1999 at the website Ban Comic Sans. What started off as a nice comic-like font ended up being used for serious information and signage.
There are literally hundreds and hundreds of meticulously designed fonts for every occasion and message for a small fee. And thousands of knock-off fonts (which are generally missing things like; numbers, plus signs, uppercase letters) which can also serve better to communicate. Fonts.com and daFont.com are two sites that have great fonts.
And for you web designers, did you know you aren’t limited to only a few fonts now-a-days? And I’m not talking Photoshop headers using fonts from your system. Google has nearly 110 Open Source web fonts you can use.
If you’ve read this and still feel the need to use Comic Sans MS, please visit Comic Sans Criminal for help, read the brief slide show, and take the Comic Sans Pledge.
Until next week…watch out for the lemurs!
Eric