Comic Sans
Playful Microsoft font
Comic Sans is a casual, rounded typeface designed to mimic comic book lettering.
Released by Microsoft in 1994, it became widely available and wildly overused—appearing on office memos, warning signs, and gravestones.
Its perceived childishness in serious contexts made it a target of design-world mockery: Please, anything but Comic Sans.
The font persists partly because its irregular letterforms aid readability for some dyslexic readers.
Lettering style design
- fontCharacter style set
- MicrosoftRedmond technology corporation
- 1994A calendar year
- WindowsMicrosoft operating system
glyphs · characters · letters · display font · web font · TrueType · OpenType · letterforms
Relaxed, not official
- friendlyShowing kindness, warmth
- approachableEasy to engage with
- lightheartedCheerful and without worry
- unpretentiousLacking false superiority
easygoing · relaxed · warm · welcoming · conversational · accessible · unintimidating · homemade
Playfully fanciful or erratic
- cartoonAnimated or humorous illustration
- funAmusement or pleasure
- quirkyIdiosyncratically unusual
- childlikeHaving youthful innocence
cheerful · silly · bubbly · bubble letters · kindergarten · elementary school · kid-friendly · birthday parties
Not suitable or fitting
- corporateOf or relating to companies
- résumésEmployment history summaries
- legal documentsFormal binding written records
- gravestonesBurial site markers
context · tone-deaf · amateurish · cringe
Strong negative reaction
- debateFormal argument on issues
- polarizingCausing sharp division
- criticismJudgment of faults
- ridiculeContemptuous mocking treatment
memes · irony · unprofessional · inappropriate · misuse · overuse · hate · defenders
typeface
Lettering style design
Windows · glyphs · characters · letters · display font · web font · TrueType · OpenType · letterforms · rounded
informal
Relaxed, not official
- friendlyShowing kindness, warmth
- approachableEasy to engage with
- lightheartedCheerful and without worry
unpretentious · easygoing · relaxed · warm · welcoming · conversational · accessible · unintimidating · homemade · handwritten
whimsical
Playfully fanciful or erratic
childlike · cheerful · silly · bubbly · bubble letters · kindergarten · elementary school · kid-friendly · birthday parties · games
inappropriate
Not suitable or fitting
- corporateOf or relating to companies
- résumésEmployment history summaries
- legal documentsFormal binding written records
gravestones · context · tone-deaf · amateurish · cringe
backlash
Strong negative reaction
- debateFormal argument on issues
- polarizingCausing sharp division
- criticismJudgment of faults
ridicule · memes · irony · unprofessional · inappropriate · misuse · overuse · hate · defenders · designers
- fontsHelvetica, Arial, Georgia, Verdana, Times
- typographyletters, font, calligraphy, font design, typefaces
Comic SansTimes New Roman
Traditional serif typeface
Baskerville · Georgia · Palatino · Cambria
comic, comical, comics, sans, comically, comic book, sans-serif