Comic Sans, the Font People Love to Hate by Paige Shelton

JENN McKINLAY: I've known Paige for so long, I actually can't remember how we met or when we met. I'm just grateful that we did. And now that geography is our friend, too, she lives close enough to do lunch whenever one of us is going sideways in our writing or we just want to have a few laughs (she's very funny) before we get back on the wordsmith chain gang.

Without further ado, here's Paige!

PAIGE SHELTON: I chuckled when someone retweeted a tweet about my upcoming book, COMIC SANS MURDER. They said, “This is perfect! I’ve often wanted to kill someone for using Comic Sans.”

Yes, Comic Sans tends to get the short end of the Bic. In fact, Twitter once tweeted that most server space complaints are first about airlines, second about Comic Sans, and third, Justin Bieber.

Available December 5th!

Poor font. I didn’t understand such derision. A little research was in order.  

Comic Sans was created in 1995 by Microsoft designer Vincent Connare. In fact, he was trying to right a wrong. He had been given a beta version of Microsoft Bob, a software package designed for kids. The package included a dog, Rover, and message balloons with messages written in Times New Roman. Well, that seemed unfitting, so Vincent set out to create something more . . . fun, I expect. I think he nailed it.

Sadly, Comic Sans wasn’t ready in time for Rover, so instead the font was released with Windows 95, and all Helvetica broke loose. New life was breathed into bake sale flyers and birthday party invitations everywhere. For a while, people loved it. I think most people actually still like the font, but maybe akin to liking Justin Bieber, it’s just not a cool thing to admit. (Or is it cool to admit you like Justin Bieber? Well, you know what I mean.)

To me, Comic Sans is like Helvetica’s slightly tipsy cousin, the fun one who laughs too loud when they’re out in public, but is still loveable. The cute one we all just smile and shake our heads at.

JENN: I love Comic Sans, then again, I think I might be the tipsy cousin. LOL!

Anyway, as research sometimes will do, I felt a need to look deeper. What if I could design my own font? Surely, it would be a creative challenge, and if I came up with something good, that no one could resist using, maybe I could trademark it and make everyone pay me money to use it. It would have a real Impact, and I’d be rich!

It’s a real thing. People really do design fonts. Sadly, it’s not a quick and easy undertaking. The process can be long, and it takes quite a bit of thought. You have to consider where the typeface will be used, the people who will be reading it, blah, blah, blah. Clearly, probably not my Forte.

However, it’s also an artistic pursuit. You begin with your hands, your handwriting, and your creative genius. You digitize that genius and work from there. After much experimenting with all the letters, in both cases, and all the symbols, you just might have your own font.

Let’s say you want to protect your font, there are ways. Those copyright and patents options fall under something called The Black Letter Law. Isn’t that a cool name for a boring old law? I would like to write a book with that title someday.

And then, marketing isn’t easy, but it’s doable. There are type resellers that sell fonts to graphic design companies. Sadly, I didn’t get the impression there was a lot of big money there. Oh, well, maybe I’ll win the lottery.

My artistic senses tingled a little at the idea though, so I grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil. And, here it is, my one letter, one case font. Dragonbite. I won’t be seeking any special protection for it, so feel free to use at will. I signed it just to give it that extra-special Flair. 

JENN: I love it! I see a big Futura for you in font design, Paige!

COMIC SANS MURDER is the third book in my Dangerous Type mysteries. It will be available December 5.

Thanks to Jenn McKinlay, all the amazing Jungle Red Writers, and everyone reading today for letting me stop by.

JENN: Delighted to spend time with you, as always, Paige. And now, Reds and Readers, what's your go to font? What font do you despise? Or are you scratching your head, asking "What's a font?"

Most of my research came from these articles:

https://www.fonts.com/content/learning/fyti/typefaces/story-of-comic-sans
http://www.creativebloq.com/typography/what-is-typography-123652

website: www.paigeshelton.com

Reds on Fonts

SUSAN ELIA MACNEAL: During my last week on Jungle Reds, we talked about typewriters — now let's chat about fonts.

The font at the heading of my blog and website is from a Remington Noiseless Portable typewriter, probably similar to those Winston Churchill's typists, such as Elizabeth Layton Nel, used. The font was recreated for the computer by antique typewriter aficionado and expert Richard Polt.

According to Richard, the font was created from his own "beloved Remington Noiseless Portable Model Seven.... Using fontifier.com and a scanner [to create a] Remington Noiseless Truetype font that you are welcome to download." 

For all of us who love fonts, particularly old typewriter fonts, thank you, Richard!

But for emails, general writing and fiction, I'm loyal and true to Times New Roman. It's easy to read, elegant, and looks good on-screen as well as printed out. It's one of the few fonts publishers and editors like (the other is Courier, which was developed when I worked in publishing in the 90s—probably because it mimics an electric typewriter—but do people still use it?)

And so lovely Reds, I ask you — what font(s) do you work in? Do you ever switch them up? Does your agent/editor have a preference? And if you could use only one for the rest of your life, what would it be?

HALLIE EPHRON: My favorite font is old fashioned typewriter like Courier or Courier New. I think because it feels like someone actually had to hit a key to make each letter appear. But I don't use it for manuscripts - for that I I'm with you on Times New Roman. Big enough to read, please, which means 12 point. But on the Web I'm perfectly happy with Helvetica or Arial. sans serif fonts. Fancy fonts quickly become unreadable.

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Oh, gosh, at work our Outlook is set (for everyone) to Calibri, which I am not fond of, and as a result I spend half my time changing each email so it's back in Times New Roman.  And I've always wanted to do a story where the character writes in WingDings, and then the recipient has to "translate" by changing it back. I'm fascinated with WingDings.

The first edition of my first book had the titlepage in --oh, rats, what was it called? Zapfino?  I've blocked it. I thought it was AWFUL. But now I see it everywhere. 

And calligraphy/script, sorry to say, never is very successful. NOT to mention impossible to read.

RHYS BOWEN: Very boring Times New Roman, please. As long as it's big enough and easy to read I confess I don't notice. I have used Parisian in some flyers and postcards as it is deliciously art deco.

LUCY BURDETTE: Me too, Rhys. Boring Times New Roman. However, the 12 font is getting a little small, Hallie...

DEBORAH CROMBIE: I was taught that manuscripts should be formatted in Courier New, and that's  how I still do them---12 point, which is easier to read than Times New Roman 12 point. I love the typewriter font, and for me, the space between the letters makes it very easy to read when editing or proofing. For everything else I use Times New Roman, or sometimes Arial, except for our personal Christmas cards which we now send as e-cards. We use a fun serif font--I can't remember what it's called. But it's legible.

Do you suppose people still submit manuscripts to agents in weird fonts and on weird colored paper?  Horrors!!!

SUSAN ELIA MACNEAL: Debs,  I haven't worked with "over the transom" manuscripts in a while, but I can attest that unsolicited manuscripts would come in with all kinds of crazy fonts, including multiple fonts in the same manuscript. One manuscript I read was printed out on strawberry-scented pink paper, but that's a whole other post....

Nowadays, manuscripts must be submitted by agents and I'm guessing they reformat anything that's too outrageous....

Lovely readers, do you have a font preference when you write? When you read? Are there any fonts that drive you batty? (For me it's Comic Sans — shudder....) Please tell us in the comments!