Dogs “Speak” in Comic Sans

by Karla Accorto

Summer 2017 Intern

Ever since I was a child, I have loved the Comic Sans font because of how much it resembled my own handwriting, even as my handwriting developed into a more adult-like form. But how did this childlike, whimsical font come into play?

Initially, Comic Sans was created for a digital dog named Rover. While testing a beta version of a Microsoft program, designer Vincent Connare noticed that all of Rover’s speech bubbles were written in Times New Roman, which he thought looked too formal. In his opinion, “Dogs don’t talk in Times New Roman!” and so he set out to remedy the situation.

Using comic books—specifically The Dark Night Returns—as references, Connare worked tirelessly to create a new font, and Comic Sans was born.

Since its inception, Comic Sans has found its way onto many a page, sign or digital interface. Those who favor it praise Comic Sans for being “casual” and “welcoming.” But did you know that Comic Sans is also one of the typefaces preferred by some dyslexic readers? Its unique sans serif quality, clear ascenders and descenders, and spacing between letters help some dyslexic readers distinguish the letters better than some other fonts.

And to think, it all started with a talking dog!