We came from Corsica vacation recently and one place we visited was Bonifiacio, a picturesque town in the south of the island. It’s a great place to visit, but if you do, try to rent an apartment in the old town itself – you might feel as a part of it.

We stayed in an apartment recently completely renovated by owners and very tastefully designed. Phillipe, our impeccably dressed host, who lived in equally tasteful apartment above us, also provided us with a page full of suggestions on what to do, where to eat and so on.

Typeface used for suggestions was Comic Sans .

I admit I was amused at first. Here was this older gentleman showing more taste than me in everything who nevertheless used one of more despised and ridiculed typefaces around. My unconfirmed guess is that he picked it because it looks friendlier than others.

Which got me thinking how bad is Comic Sans really?

It obviously doesn’t leave people untouched, since they keep on using it when there are many choices even on most typefaces starved computers. I’ve also yet to meet a person who would hate it and was not interested in type.

Popularity does not mean it is a good typeface (whatever that actually means) just as it doesn’t make Madonna a good singer. It does however speak to people unlike so many typefaces which leave most of us simply unmoved.

Not to be contrarian, but I find it a completely reasonable choice for children party invitations. It may look ludicrous when used on warning signs, but then again every typeface gets misused for texts it wasn’t designed for.

If it happens more often to Comic Sans, it’s probably more because it is less general, less bland than, say, Times Roman .

In the end I have to admit I don’t have a bigger point than simple admission I’m not affronted by it anymore. I can’t muster a will to protest or even feel annoyed. To me it has become a pop icon, something I wish to see less and in context better suited for it, but at the end harmless.