Sans Comic Sans: Font Trends and Their Haters by Gita V. Reddy

I started self-publishing three years ago, I pored over different fonts and chose Comic Sans for my book covers. I expected my prospective readers to belong to the age group 8–12, and felt that the slightly ungainly, casual, and even a little weird font would go well with them. Moreover, the remnant of the child in me responded to it. I especially liked the paunchy ‘D’ and the lollipop ‘Q’.

Some months later I came across a scathing comment about the font. The writer called it the lemonade stand font and other derogatory names, and concluded with the statement that it was the worst font ever created. So much antipathy for a mere font? He wasn’t alone. There were, and are, communities trying to wipe Comic Sans from the face of the planet. Judging by the comments, this homely and handwritten looking font, which looked liberating and fun to me, was the equivalent of a deadly virus that had to be destroyed. It was childish, infantile, showed bad taste, branded the person using it as shallow and empty headed, and so on.

Designed as a child oriented font by Microsoft for some of its applications in 1994, Comic Sans has been extensively used for almost everything. It is a very popular font. We see it on birthday cards, billboards, hotel menus, even office menus. It just doesn’t go away. It is like the tune stuck in the head. Maybe that is why people started hating it. It wouldn’t have mattered if it was not so distinctive. There are other fonts we see every day, like Times New Roman, but they don’t stick out. Most fonts don’t. But Comic Sans is like a happy shout and when it is used outside a funeral home, it jars. Amidst the shouts for Comic Sans

abolishment, a new font has emerged: Comic Neue. It’s tagline is ‘Make your Lemonade Stand look like a Fortune 500 company,’ and it claims to be an informal font without the wonkiness of Comic Sans. Where am I going with all this? If you’re popular, people will hate you or too much of a good thing is bad? No one likes too much personality?

Perhaps the lesson I learnt is one should use things in proper context. If Comic Sans had been confined to child-related writings and products, this endearing font would continue to be the confident choice of many users. Or I am trying to show how the wheel can always be reinvented — Comic Neue from Comic Sans.

None of the above. My point is it’s tough being an indie writer and taking care of everything from editing, designing, marketing. It’s so easy to make a mistake. Because of my font choice, my book cover screamed amateur, and perhaps empty-headed-writer as well.

If you can afford professional help, it’s better not to scrimp. If you are on a tight budget, don’t jump at the first designer who offers a $10 dollar cover. Chances are the cover will not stand out. If you must do your own covers, take your time over them, look at other covers, market trends, funky fonts. Check if the fonts are free for commercial use.

No one ever said self-publishing would be easy. Sorry, they did? Oh yeah! That animated gentleman on amazon kdp! What can I say? I believed him, too.

V. Reddy is the author of the Middle Grade Fantasy, Cheetaka, Queen of Giants, three other

novels, eight chapter books, and three short story collections.

Cheetaka, Queen of Giants is available as an ebook on amazon, smashwords, apple, and other ebook stores. The paperback edition will be released by May 15, 2015.