Top 5 Worst Fonts

14 Jul 2006 | Angie H

There are some fonts that just not ever be used for anything serious. Actually, there are A LOT of fonts that shouldn't ever be used for anything. Period. But there's a handfull of fonts that are horrible because they're overused, difficult to read if used for more than a headline, are just plain ugly, or a combination of these things. So without further ado, here are the top 5 worst fonts you shouldn't ever use... Letterman style.

5: Times New Roman Okay, so this font is overused because it's the default font on just about every operating system. And to be perfectly honest, using it in simple correspondence is probably just fine. But for marketing materials? Not so much. And for a company logo??? Definitely not.

4: Montype Corsiva I've seen this one on business cards, invitations, and pretty much anything else that needs to display some sort of "fanciness." Problem is, it becomes difficult to read when used for more than a line of a few words.

3: Brush Script If Monotype Corsiva gets difficult to read, this one is worse. Low-end salons have pretty much beaten this one to death - just flip through your local yellow pages. What is it about this font that makes people associate it with hair??

2: Papyrus You really didn't think I'd leave this one out did you? I've mentioned this font before so I won't get into it again here. This was very close to number one on this list...

And the number 1 worst font: Comic Sans The absolute worst font ever. Hey, when there's a website dedicated to banning you, you know you're beyond overused. From what I've gathered, apparently this font gives people an impression of "friendliness." I guess I can see that. But, like Papyrus, why do folks insist on using it for longer bits of text? Comic Sans' angles are so abrupt and strange that it doesn't make for quick reading or scanning. And frankly, that "friendliness" reads more child-like than anything else. So if you're using it for your business... it's not exactly the most professional image in the world.

What about you? Got a font you absolutely detest? Leave a comment and let us know!

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