The most hated font is often one that has been misused, overused, or simply poorly designed. While some typefaces are praised for their elegance and readability, others have earned a notorious reputation for being outdated, tacky, or difficult to read. We’ll tackle the worst offenders and why they’re so disliked.
Key Takeaways:
A font might be deemed ugly due to poor kerning, excessive embellishments, or awkward letterforms. Designers cringe when they see these fonts slapped on a piece of media. Moreover, bad associations also made some fonts universally loathed. Here’s a look at 15 fonts that designers love to hate.
Why is Comic Sans the most hated font? The font was never implemented for its intended purpose, which is for an animated cartoon dog speech bubble at Microsoft. But became widely available, leading to its use in various inappropriate contexts such as formal documents, ads, and even serious notices.
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Papyrus has long been ridiculed for its faux-historical look. It was popular in the early ’90s, but today, the font feels like a cheap trick for amateur designers looking for an instant “exotic” look.
It was the history that made Arial the most hated font. Supposedly, Microsoft made Arial by copying Helvetica; that way, they could avoid paying royalty fees, and then making it a default font is just plain egregious.
This font was Microsoft’s default font between 1992 and 2007, so you can say that it’s outdated. More importantly, Times New Roman was the popular choice in professional and academic settings. Thus, designers would love to avoid reminding you of those stressful days at school.
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Brush Script tries to mimic casual handwriting but ends up being too difficult to read. The font has a constant heavy look that makes it visually overwhelming. Plus, even back in the day, the font was already being overused in greeting cards and culinary signage.
The Trajan font was inspired by an ancient inscription from Rome. The font then was widely used in many movie posters. So, outdated is an understatement. Plus, the font is an all-caps typeface, limiting its versatility.
Having the same problem with Comic Sans as the most hated font, Bradley Hand is also too informal for many designs nowadays. The only option is to use it on a personal project such as invitations, greeting cards, or scrapbooks.
With its bubbly, cartoonish letterforms and lack of straight lines, Hobo has succeeded in positioning itself as a childish font. Despite that, this font is popular for logos and branding because it is hard to read on long texts.
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Despite its name, Impact fails to impress many designers. Its thick, blocky look is overused in internet memes, making it feel cheap and cliché.
Mimicking a typewriter’s look, the Courier is often seen as uninspiring and outdated. The font has monospaced letters, which hinder its versatility in today’s copy designs.
With its grunge, distressed aesthetic, Bleeding Cowboys was once popular in edgy designs. However, the font suffers from amateur overuse, such as low-quality tattoos and cheap t-shirts. Now, the font is associated with horrible designs.
Curlz MT was made in 1995. The font achieves its playful place using its curly letterforms. This font was a popular choice for children’s books, party invites, and cute designs. However, the style is now outdated, even for youthful designs.
Helvetica is the epitome of simplicity. However, the simplistic nature makes it too generic. If you ever find it hard to discern I and l, that’s probably Helvetica or Arial.
The unappealing side of the Gill Sans is its inconsistent letterforms. This feature results in awkward curves and mismatched proportions. Additionally, its continuation, the Gill Sans Light Shadowed, is worse; its shadow effect induces a headache.
Copperplate Gothic is often criticized for its small caps and rigid appearance. The font is synonymous with law firm branding. So, many designers just prefer to be unique.
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Typography is subjective, but designers all over the world have agreed to hate on some particular fonts. The most notable reasons are the font’s widespread misuse, outdated design, and difficulty in integrating these fonts into current design aesthetics.
After understanding the what is the most hated font, why not consider using modern fonts for professional design? Here at Rantautype Studio, you can always find fonts with the latest styles to inspire your next project direction. Look no further; visit the official website for the deals and promotions.
