The Student News Site of Saint Louis University

The University News

The Student News Site of Saint Louis University

The University News

The Student News Site of Saint Louis University

The University News

New study shows Comic Sans not so bad after all, despite what you probably think

New study shows Comic Sans not so bad after all, despite what you probably think

In a joint study published by Stanford’s English Department and the Pew Research Center, it has been found that Comic Sans is both the least popular font in the world and the most environmentally friendly. In a poll of 1500 individuals, Pew found that people ranked Comic Sans 622 out of 622 in a list that included all fonts available for everyday use, behind Stencil, Lucida Sans Typewriter and Wingdings.

It was found to be most popular amongst doctors and engineers, who cited the font’s versatility and storied history as two of the top reasons for favoring it. One advocate for the font stated that it was “professional, yet lighthearted. The mullet of fonts.” He continued “In a field as serious as my own — medicine — where people’s lives are constantly in your hands, it helps to lighten things up. That’s why myself and many others love using Comic Sans so much.”

The University News did not have the heart to tell him that it ranked dead last in the study.

The second half of the study found the font also to be the most environmentally conscious of the font variations. In a print test that studied 150 various fonts, it was found that Comic Sans used one third of the ink than its nearest opponent did. When asked for comment as to why this drastic result occurred, the spearhead of the study, and professor at Stanford, Dr. Timothy Hoppings, was dumbfounded.

“I am as shocked at these results as anyone else. Sure, Comic Sans has always been a great font, but I don’t think Microsoft knew just how incredible it was when they created it in 1994.” Hoppings continued sharing the impact his findings might have, “This font has the ability to reduce ink usage from printers by up to 70 percent if it becomes the default font for all professions—a move that could save businesses millions of dollars.”

Story continues below advertisement

With the findings being published in this quarter’s “Social Science Journal,” the effects are sure to be felt far and wide. It is rumored that Apple and Facebook are two companies that are already switching to an “exclusively Comic Sans platform.” It will be interesting to see who follows suit.

When reached for comment, Saint Louis University administration stated that they intend on making an immediate switch to a primarily Comic Sans platform in order to cut costs, and that maybe the font “isn’t that bad after all.”

View Comments (1)
Donate to The University News
$1410
$750
Contributed
Our Goal

Your donation will support the student journalists of Saint Louis University. Your contribution will help us cover our annual website hosting costs.

More to Discover
Donate to The University News
$1410
$750
Contributed
Our Goal

Comments (1)

All The University News Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • J

    jishnuOct 1, 2018 at 3:47 am

    Is this for serious? I thought comic sans was one of the fonts that use a lot more ink than normal?

    Reply