It was an amusing experiment to try peeling away everything people criticized about Comic Sans MS and straighten everything crooked, clumsy, hesitant, and askew in its design. Was it possible to create a serious version? Behind the joke and the hundreds of clicks with the shift key held down, the result left me a bit unsettled. Was this, then, the true identity of this ubiquitous typeface, this old clown everyone knew too well? With its silly grin and thick makeup removed, it suddenly felt like I’d unmasked an imposter that had been fooling us since the dawn of the PC. It was like seeing the ghost of Zavatta, tyrannizing his children, peering out from my keyboard. It was funny to not be funny anymore, but it wasn’t exactly a pretty sight.
Because Comic Isn’t Funny
It was an amusing experiment to try peeling away everything people criticized about Comic Sans MS and straighten everything crooked, clumsy, hesitant, and askew in its design. Was it possible to create a serious version? Behind the joke and the hundreds of clicks with the shift key held down, the result left me a bit unsettled. Was this, then, the true identity of this ubiquitous typeface, this old clown everyone knew too well? With its silly grin and thick makeup removed, it suddenly felt like I’d unmasked an imposter that had been fooling us since the dawn of the PC. It was like seeing the ghost of Zavatta, tyrannizing his children, peering out from my keyboard. It was funny to not be funny anymore, but it wasn’t exactly a pretty sight.