#1 - Comic Sans
It really wasn't an option to not pick this one as my #1 most despised font. If you look far and wide on the net, you'll discover that I am not alone in my disdain. Nothing says tacky quite like a the cartoony-goodness of Comic Sans. Check it out this website dedicated to banning Comic Sans, or this font dedicated to spreading truth; its entitled 'I hate Comic Sans'.
#2 - Papyrus
Often referred to on the net as 'the thinking man's comic sans', this is one font that has been driven into the ground by overuse (plus, its ugly... so there). This font thrives amongst small churches, video-gamers, and a plethora of other groups. For those of you thinking that this a unique way to distinguish your document/piece from the masses- it's not. Everyone has adopted this font, everyone. I remember being pretty disappointed to see that one of my favorite (canceled) series, Firefly, had adopted this font for use on the their spaceship in the movie Serenity (although to be fair, they did alter a bit... mostly by bolding the typeface). Apparently the papyrus font is still heavily used 500 hundred years in the future... those poor space people.
#3 - Curlz
I'm not going to even bother justifying why I picked this one... just look at it.
#4 - Copperplate
This is probably the font that I'll receive the most flack for picking. However, I still stand behind my choice. This is a font that does have its specific applications, but has grown to be included on my pet peeve list due to overuse. Like papyrus, this font is one that many people use to make their documents 'unique'. The tracking of this font is pretty odd in my opinion (too much space between characters). While that can be adjusted easily in design programs, most users taking advantage of this font are using applications like Word which do not have this ability.
#5 - Brush Script
Unless you're designing a baseball jersey, stay away from this font. There are so many fantastic cursive/handwriting fonts our there for free download... why in the world would you choose to use this one? If you're looking for one of the most contrived cursive fonts in the universe, please look no further.
Have a font that I missed? Disagree with my choices? Please leave comments...
5 comments:
Ugh Stephen... you hurt me. You punch my soul Stephen. I love Comic Sans. I mean come on! The name says COMIC! It's reminiscent of the Adam West Batman days! WHAMMO! ZAP! KAZOW!
Ok, I'll agree with you regarding comic sans, brush script and papyrus (what was that comment about "small churches", anyway?); and I loathe curlz, which is probably my least favorite of the bunch, but COPPERPLATE? Well, now you've gone too far! I see...hmm...so now I know what you really think of my newsletter and monthly calendars!
What about the hideousness that is Impact, Viner Hand or Kristen ITC? I mean, c'mon-Copperplate?? It's ok, I still love you,son...although my disappointment knows no bounds...
I'm sorry... I've gotta stand behind my picks. Comic Sans is an obvious choice no doubt about it. Copperplate was a tough one, but it is quickly dying from overuse like papyrus. It wasn't so bad when it wasn't an 'included' font, but now many systems are packaging it as a standard.
I agree on all of the fonts. It always amazes me when designing for someone that they are so fascinated with these dumb fonts (cause they have them pre-installed on their home computer... so it MUST be cool!) - and I am like... I have a few thousand fonts in a book for you to look at if you like... we have a LOT to choose from... HAHA!
Okay, so you don't like Copperplate. I must, however, side with your wise mother and disagree with your opinion of this font. I think it is a very professional-looking font, simple, yet elegant and strong.
And your argument against it seems to be based upon its "overuse." However, is this really a valid argument, Stephen? If "overuse" is your foundational problem with Copperplate, then allow me to question you further: Are Arial and Times New Roman and Courier New poor fonts because of their overuse?
(You were right about one thing...you will receive the most flack about Copperplate!...In fact, I've used it in much of the BTC print materials!! So thanks a lot.)
;o)
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