Perhaps Comic Sans gets no respect because it was intended to look like the hand-lettering in comic books. However, it is distinguishable from hand-lettering if there’s enough text and you pay attention to the details. For example, I can tell that this strip was hand-lettered. Look at the S’s – each one is slightly different from all the others.In Comic Sans, they’d all be the same. Small imperfections were introduced deliberately into each letter, with the imperfections varying between different letters, but every rendition of the same letter is identical.
I think that this feature actually makes it more readable. As you read more Comic Sans text, you are subconsciously noticing the small imperfections; after several repetitions of a letter, your mental model of that letter in this document includes not only the overall shape, but the repeated imperfections, and that gives your mind more ways to distinguish them. E.g., in most fonts, R is just P with an extra stroke – if your eye skips over that stroke, you might misread an R, then go back and look again when the spelling doesn’t make sense. In Comic Sans, the vertical strokes and loops are also different.
As an English as a Second Language teacher, I’m put off by our fonts that make the letter l (L) and the letter I (i) look the same. It’s hard enough to teach someone a new language without having mystery letters.
deojaideep aka Courage about 8 years ago
Seriously! Comic Sans!
cdward about 8 years ago
More than any font, I hate Helvetica. And yet, it’s the default on my computer.
flynn151 about 8 years ago
cdward, you can change your default settings with little difficulty.
dwagon55 about 8 years ago
Try Tahoma!
Dr_Zinj about 8 years ago
Nobody gets out of life alive.
Well, almost nobody.
bookworm0812 about 8 years ago
My favorite font!
markmoss1 about 8 years ago
Perhaps Comic Sans gets no respect because it was intended to look like the hand-lettering in comic books. However, it is distinguishable from hand-lettering if there’s enough text and you pay attention to the details. For example, I can tell that this strip was hand-lettered. Look at the S’s – each one is slightly different from all the others.In Comic Sans, they’d all be the same. Small imperfections were introduced deliberately into each letter, with the imperfections varying between different letters, but every rendition of the same letter is identical.
I think that this feature actually makes it more readable. As you read more Comic Sans text, you are subconsciously noticing the small imperfections; after several repetitions of a letter, your mental model of that letter in this document includes not only the overall shape, but the repeated imperfections, and that gives your mind more ways to distinguish them. E.g., in most fonts, R is just P with an extra stroke – if your eye skips over that stroke, you might misread an R, then go back and look again when the spelling doesn’t make sense. In Comic Sans, the vertical strokes and loops are also different.
neverenoughgold about 8 years ago
Har har har…
ianjohnsoncartoonist Premium Member about 8 years ago
The one you have to look out for is “Architect’s Daughter.” :)
seanthered about 8 years ago
As an English as a Second Language teacher, I’m put off by our fonts that make the letter l (L) and the letter I (i) look the same. It’s hard enough to teach someone a new language without having mystery letters.
paullp Premium Member about 8 years ago
Wizard of Id, probably.
banjinshiju about 8 years ago
I guess they would laugh themselves to death.
Dewed about 8 years ago
Must be a Wedding Chapel
UpaCoCoCreek Premium Member about 8 years ago
They tickle you to death.
Rhonda Premium Member about 8 years ago
That’s my favorite font!