In general terms, it is one of the most popular typefaces in the world. In those same terms, it is also one of the most hated. Comic Sans MS began its journey as an additional font in the Windows Plus! package, and from there it has been seen... well, everywhere. Its creator is designer Vincent Connare, who on more than one occasion has explained (and why not defended) the existence of Comic Sans, but his work was not limited to it, and he also created other high-profile fonts.
The history of typefaces can be fascinating. We spend entire years of our lives in front of them, but we know very little about their creators and the goals behind each one. A while ago I talked about Susan Kare, who designed some of the most important fonts on the Mac platform, starting with the classic Chicago. But what brings us here today is a typeface that, 23 years after its creation, still divides opinions. It is none other than Comic Sans.
Its mastermind is Vincent Connare, a designer who for a good part of the '90s worked in the Microsoft domain. According to Connare's vision, a typeface is the answer to a question, the solution to a problem. Therefore, Comic Sans arose as a solution to a problem that existed in a very specific program: Microsoft Bob.
Vincent Connare and Comic Sans
When Connare had access to a beta of Microsoft Bob and saw the dialogs in Times New Roman, he knew something was wrong. His inspiration was precisely comics, among which he mentions with certain emphasis Batman and Watchmen. At first, Comic Sans was rejected by Connare's bosses, who asked for a more 'typographic' style, but the designer did not give ground, stating that it should be strange and striking instead of boring. Comic Sans was not finished in time to be included in Microsoft Bob, but it was part of the Microsoft Plus! package for Windows 95. The typeface later found its place on Mac computers, and from there on it simply did not stop.
Advertising posters, war memorials, safety warnings, police cars, funerals, tattoos, birth certificates, pubs, sports jerseys, bread packages... I am only scratching the surface. I think that is the real problem behind Comic Sans: its use and abuse out of context. The original idea was comics, small messages, texts for children.
Vincent Connare has taken the stage on more than one occasion to defend his typeface, but we must not forget that he also created other very important ones, such as Trebuchet MS and Marlett, widely used in the Windows 95 interface.
