Papyrus, The Font I Hate…

Posted on | December 30, 2009 | 2 Comments

Papyrus has to be one to be one of the most overused fonts for design purposes. Not sure why it happens. I guess its a quick easy solution that you know users and your clients will like. Sadly I fell into that trap a few years back working on an acupuncture site. The design has changed, but the font, remains.

So… why do I hate it. Well… I think the root of the hatred comes from ‘non-designers’ designing things. They break out their WordPad to create a flyer, business card or brochure for their new-age, oriental, or antique product or service, and select Papyrus, as its the only font that really is stylized and included your system fonts. Perhaps I should blame system software developers for not including a wider array of fonts, but this does not excuse the professionally developed items that still show up. I’m talking about TV Shows, Movies, and Magazine ads.

For these mediums, I really think it comes down to laziness on the part of the Creative Director, Art Director, Designer, etc. Someone should just raise their hand and boldly suggest another font.

Thankfully I’m not alone here. Check out Papyrus Watch, which has been documenting the use of this font for 2 years now.

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