My mom chuckled when she saw me amused over an article about fonts in the local newspaper. She never really saw what was so interesting about “fonts”—which she’d probably refer to the ones she’d choose from a drop-down menu in Microsoft Word—much less the abomination that is Comic Sans MS.
(Okay, I’ll admit this once and for all: I did use said font when I knew no better. It was in grade six, for an amateur desktop publishing project in Computer class. And I am mightily proud of what I had accomplished back then, despite my design crime. I make amends by declaring war against it every opportunity I get: whether it’s the letters inside comic strips or car advertisements, do not use Comic Sans MS. It does not make words look cute, comic-y, or friendly.)
Anyway, my mom was someone who laid out publications manually during her time. I guess not everyone who had the privilege of arranging metal letters side by side at the printing press grows enamored with typography.
I’m not going to delve into why the whole business of type is so damn sexy. You just get defensive and disappointed when people close to you don’t fully appreciate the things you’re interested in.
Maybe they never had the chance to understand those things. But in this day and age of hyperspeed, there’s no reason not to.