So I read an article in today's New York Times. Apparently people are upset. Not about the economy. Or health care. It's not politics or religion that has everyone riled up. What is it, you may ask, that has the world in a tizzy?
It's fonts. That's right boys and girls. Fonts. The difference between this:
and this:
Fonts matter. I get it. But, it's got to be a pretty important literary masterpiece or a venerable publishing house making the switch from Futura to Verdana to generate outrage. To spark petition drives. Right?
Wrong.
The Ikea furniture catalog will no longer be printed in Futura. Ikea has made the switch to Verdana. And people are going nuts. You don't believe me? Google "Ikea font". You'll find listings like "Ikea customers furious over change of font" and "Ikea and the font fiasco" and my personal favorite, "The Font War: Ikea Fans Fume over Switch to Verdana."
This is serious, boys and girls. After all, Verdana is a gateway font.
Comments (25)
I read about this the other day, and I couldn't believe that there was such an outrage. Totally crazy!
I love your take on this.
Wow. This is headline news?
Who are these people? Don't they have a life? Amidst all the really important issues to be concerned about, font changes are this upsetting?
I think the term used recently about another hoo-ha applies. It's absolutely "silly season". Love your satire
~~Cheers
I started with Verdana.
Now I am using Tahoma.
Daily.
I'm up to 14 point.
Let this be a warning to all.
Old Hat
#$^!@% Verdana! I'm sick and tired of its attitude, thinking it's the best font--that's Times New Roman, buddy! Deal. With. It.
Oh, have you heard about eco-friendly font we're all supposed to download to help save the environment?
That's really interesting. As if we don't have enough real issues in the world.
@My_HAT_is_older_than_you - It feels good to know that someone understands. For a while I could control it, but then I started doing Georgia Ref in the morning, and now...
@DonnaLou - Satire?
Sigh.
well, it's so important.
Comic sans doesn't kill people. People kill people.
Helvetica, helveica, helvetica! It is the Marsha Brady of fonts.
I have to google this. It'll be good for a laugh.
@Boowasborn - I've been working on a screenplay, a remake of sorts of Twelve Angry Men. Comic sans is on trial for murder and the evidence is overwhelmingly against him. But one juror, one lone juror, stands firm. In the dramatic climax, that lone juror takes a stand for justice. Comic sans doesn't kill people.
lol!! typography is important to a lot of people ahaha im taking a graphics class and starting to notice that kind of stuff
helvetica is a font that a lot of people like... i think ikea should stick with their font... why change something that works?
Let this woman's out of control behavior with type be a lesson to us all:
"...ProCare told the authority Walker - who was fired in December 2007
after two years of employment - had caused disharmony in the workplace
by using block capitals, bold typeface and red text in her emails...."
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10594014
;)
I don't think I could possibly go outside of Ariel. It's the easiest to read of all the fonts, it's not fancy or too laid back, it's just perfect. I do, however, remember the days of Times New Roman. And Courier New was a good one for papers that needed to be a certain number of pages in length. One sentence in 12 point Courier New could take up a solid three lines!
I so get the complete and utter horror that this is. Futura makes more sense to go with the sort of products that IKEA sells-they are sleek and modern pieces. I know that both font faces are sans-serif, but futura has a a more sophisticated appearance to it, while verdana seems more...juvenille, for lack of better words. Verdana would work for a kids magazine or something along those lines. I bet if I wasn't going to school to be a graphic design major, this sort of thing wouldn't bother me as much.
I don't buy their excuses. I bet they're just testing the waters before they make the big switch to Wingdings.
srs bzns.....
Yeah, I'd heard about this. Seems pretty insane to me, but maybe I'm just not well enough informed of the importance of fonts.
Damn you, Ikea! Now I may just not go back to your labyrinth of a store to get the rest of the furniture for my workroom! That'll teach you!
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...
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I'm sorry, Ikea. You did nothing wrong. Will you please forgive me and let me buy some more of your sweet, inexpensive Swedish furniture? Pretty please? I love you. -flips through giant Ikea catalog and joygasms-
thanks jeff remind me to roll my eyes-------
LOL, I thought you were going to write about some of the new fonts showing up on the Internet. They are called grunge fonts and they ook a lot like the graphics that used to go with the opening to the TV show Homicide, Life on the Streets. Now that is some drastic changes.
This Ikea thing is too silly for words.
I'm a Comic Sans girl, myself.
gateway font.....that's hilarious
xoxoxo
And isn't it amazing what people find to argue about...wars have been started for less than this.