It is strange how a font can evoke such a range of emotions from a person.
First used in 1931 in the British newspaper The Times, the “font family” Times was introduced to replace an outdated typeface and gradually became popular worldwide. The most famous offspring of this family are Times and Times New Roman.
This font has been included in every Windows version since 3.1 and was the default font for many applications, including Microsoft Word. It is widely accepted in classrooms of all levels, in offices big and small, and became the official font for all U.S. government diplomatic documents in 2004.
However, times change, and no king reigns forever.
Times New Roman (left) compared to its outdated counterpart (right). You can see the new font is larger on paper and has more spacious letter spacing – (Photo: New York Public Library).
Times New Roman’s Abdication
In early 2023, the U.S. Department of State made an official announcement: replacing Times New Roman with Calibri for all documents. According to internal documents, the change aims to help staff read text more easily on screens.
However, the reform faced mixed opinions. Government personnel have become too accustomed to Times New Roman and expressed dissatisfaction with the new decision. Many joked that this was a form of “blasphemy,” and that it was only a matter of time before someone demanded the right to use Times New Roman again.
Times New Roman used to display the score of a match held during Euro 2024 – (Photo: Internet).
In reality, the Calibri font did not spark any revolts, and the transition from Times New Roman to Calibri has its own rationale. In recent years, the elegant features of Times New Roman, such as its “serifs” and “tails,” have been criticized by design communities. They believe that the appearance of Times New Roman no longer fits the modern context. This has also led some brands to replace the font used in their logos, moving away from Times New Roman to use fonts like Helvetica, which have a cleaner look.
However, readability is the primary reason the U.S. Department of State adopted Calibri over Times New Roman. In the new era, where characters are predominantly displayed on screens, the ease of reading a font is prioritized. Sometimes, the ornate strokes of the old Times New Roman can appear cluttered on screens, making it difficult for many electronic device users.
Times New Roman is famous for its “serifs” and “tails” – (Photo: Internet).
But why the hatred for a font?
You can replace “Times New Roman” with any other font and still find a community that despises it passionately. In fact, on pages that document the psyche of typography enthusiasts (or simply font lovers), you will find a long list of fonts that are hated.
In this Internet age, where people are constantly connected, those who dislike certain fonts can find like-minded friends to form a community and raise their collective voice. Online, there are communities advocating for the ban of Papyrus, groups that loathe Comic Sans, or even factions that vehemently hate the “basic” Arial font.
The famous “doge” meme uses Comic Sans – (Photo: Internet).
Each community has its own reasons for their “dislike.” However, according to Allan Haley, director of the Words and Letters division at Monotype Imaging and an expert on all things related to type design, there are four reasons why a font may be hated. They are:
- 1. The font design has been overused.
- 2. The font is a copy of another font.
- 3. The quality of the font is poor.
- 4. Simply put, it’s just … disliked.
In a post on Commarts, expert Haley delves into each aspect of these four reasons.
1. Overused Fonts
Perhaps Comic Sans is at the top of the list of fonts that have been excessively used. In its early days within the Microsoft 3D Movie Maker application or when it became a part of the Microsoft Plus! package for Windows 95, it was not as hated as it is now.
However, as it began to appear excessively in Microsoft Publisher and Internet Explorer, it started to attract critical eyes from the community. Its easy accessibility allowed everyone to use it, and Comic Sans became ubiquitous across various Internet platforms, leading to a growing disdain for its presence.
An ATM in Vatican City uses Comic Sans – (Photo: Internet).
In a poll of designers asking why they hated Comic Sans so much, the most common response revealed that they hated Comic Sans because it was everywhere.
It’s not that Comic Sans is the most famous font. Frutiger, Franklin Gothic, or Trade Gothic have topped the “best-selling font” charts for years, but none is as despised as Comic Sans. Perhaps the disdain stems from the fact that it truly is … loathsome.
2. The Sin of Intellectual Theft
There’s a story that goes: a significant number of Internet users dislike Arial because it shamelessly imitates Helvetica. In a blog post by type designer Mark Simonson, he explains that the strokes of Arial are variants of Helvetica, aimed at avoiding copyright infringement. But due to its blatant imitation, Arial remains similar to Helvetica and has been heavily criticized by the community.
However, in his article on Commarts, Allan Haley claims Simonson’s assertion is incorrect.
Arial was not developed for Microsoft; it did not originally have the same character width as Helvetica. It was not developed based on Helvetica.
Comparison of Arial and Helvetica – (Photo: Reddit).
Arial was originally designed for another tech giant. In the early 1980s, Xerox and IBM introduced the first laser xerographic printers. These were massive machines, the size of a truck, rather than the compact machines we use today. Besides existing typefaces, Xerox and IBM wanted to have additional “typographic” fonts for their new machines.
The two font companies that bid for the contract to supply fonts for Xerox and IBM were Linotype and Monotype. At that time, the most popular fonts in North America were Times New Roman and Helvetica. Linotype and Monotype co-owned the rights to Times New Roman, but Monotype did not have the rights to Helvetica. Linotype won the contract with Xerox, while Monotype agreed to design for IBM. To succeed, Monotype needed a product that could compete with Helvetica.
Monotype’s solution was based on Monotype Grotesque, a typeface design drawn for the first time in the early 20th century. The goal was to create a competitor to Helvetica, not to copy its design. Arial was drawn to be rounder than its competitor. Its curves are softer and fuller, and the white space within the letters is also more expansive.
Arial is a direct competitor to Helvetica, sharing some similarities in appearance, but it is not a copy. Nevertheless, even when the truth is revealed, people continue to dislike Arial. Perhaps it is similar to how fans of one sports team will hate the opposing team.
3. Fonts Disliked for Being … Ugly
Font Rotis – (Photo: Internet).
Take, for example, the font Rotis, which is hated not because it is famous or because it imitates another font. It is disliked because many people believe its design is unattractive, and therefore not worthy of widespread recognition. According to Gerard Unger, the creator of fonts like Vesta, Swift, ITC Flora, and Demos, the issue with Rotis lies in certain characters.
“For example, the letter ‘e’ doesn’t fit at all. It leans backward. I don’t understand why so many designers like it and use it,” Unger shares.
These comments once again validate the ancient saying that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”
4. Simply Disliked. That’s It!
Hatred stems from human emotions, an aspect that is somewhat … illogical. In the article “I Hate ITC Garamond,” designer Michael Bierut fails to provide a reasonable explanation. “I hate it like nails on a blackboard. I hate it because I hate it,” he writes.
In another theory proposed by Simon Garfield in his book Just Your Type, the dislike for a font may stem from lingering psychological wounds. “Fonts can evoke memories, deep as perfume,” he writes. “Gill Sans can summon memories of exams. Trajan can remind us of a regrettable choice made at the movies.”
The hatred for Times New Roman or Comic Sans can be explained by this theory. It is indeed convincing.
Conclusion
Perhaps the debates surrounding fonts and type design will never be resolved, especially as trends change without any rules. In an internal document from the U.S. Department of State, a drafter noted that future documents would use Calibri as it had been chosen as the default font for Microsoft.
However, in 2021, Microsoft announced that it would soon retire Calibri. After 17 years of dominance across Office software, Calibri has made way for Aptos, the new default font for Microsoft’s content creation applications.
“Calibri has been the default font for all Microsoft products since 2007, when it replaced Times New Roman across Microsoft Office,” the tech giant stated. “It has served us well, but we believe it’s time for a change.”
Details about the specifications of the Aptos font – (Photo: Internet).
So there’s no need to analyze why a certain font is hated, criticized, or fallen out of favor. A famous designer once said: a great font is one that is recognized even before people read the words it forms; this statement holds true for both beloved and despised fonts.
Sometimes, people love or hate a font simply because it is lovable or detestable.
