type like you mean it.

I saw this poster on Creattica Daily last week and it made me chuckle. Perhaps it's just an inside joke for for us type freaks, but it illustrates what I consider to be one of the most important dilemmas designers face today—misused type!

With hundreds of sites devoted to providing free font downloads, it takes only a few minutes to expand your library with typefaces that ought not to EVER be used (or perhaps only used in the most perfect of circumstances). The fonts listed in the poster are another story, as they (or similar knockoffs) are available to anyone with a computer. And what's happened, is that your average computer user has decided that instead of using the default Times New Roman (that may require another post entirely), they can spice things up a bit and add a few display fonts—and always in inappropriate places. And in turn, they have become "designers."

The most obvious offender (in all of my years doing this) has got to be Papyrus. I am definitely guilty of using it in my early days (it was the 90's and I didn't know any better), but honestly... what does this typeface actually say about its user? And what makes it the go-to font for businesses these days? I recently drove through a small town and counted at least five businesses with signage (large signage!) set in Papyrus. This makes me wonder, who was responsible for the town's "official" font? I'm guessing it was the designer, which is even more shameful. I know many clients like Papyrus, but I find it's best not to even include it as an option. Next time you even consider using Papyrus, stop yourself. You are making a big mistake. And if you feel you need to use it just one more time, don't be surprised if one of those posters ends up at your door.