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The Fonts I Regret Using (Sorry, Comic Sans)

  • Writer: Lucia Hassard-Wooten
    Lucia Hassard-Wooten
  • Sep 26
  • 2 min read

Designers like to pretend we’ve always had impeccable taste. We haven’t.Somewhere in a dusty folder of old projects lies the evidence of our crimes against typography—and mine is basically a font graveyard.


So today, I’m publicly apologizing to the fonts I’ve abused, misused, and should never have touched—the fonts I regret using.



Business card design using Comic Sans, giving an unprofessional and childish appearance

Comic Sans

Ah, the gateway drug of bad design. At the time, I thought it was “fun” and “friendly.” In reality, it made every flyer look like a kindergarten newsletter announcing spaghetti night. Comic Sans, I’m sorry I used you on a law firm brochure. No one sued me, but they probably thought about it.



Papyrus

Listen, we’ve all been there. You think you’re channeling mystical and ancient vibes, but you’re really giving off low-budget essential oils shop. Avatar (the movie, not the airbender) ruined it for all of us, but let’s be honest—I ruined it first when I slapped Papyrus on a sushi menu. Nothing says authentic Japanese cuisine like a font that looks like it was carved into a stone tablet by a bored archaeologist.

Typography sample using Curlz MT font with overly whimsical curly letters.

Curlz MT

Why. Just why. I once used Curlz MT on a birthday invitation and turned it into a ransom note written by a circus clown. Children cried. Adults cried. Somewhere, a graphic design professor felt a disturbance in the force.



Algerian

Oh, Algerian. The “I just discovered WordArt” of fonts. I thought you made my bar menu look fancy, but instead, you gave every cocktail the energy of a 1990s Wild West saloon. Nothing says “Margarita Monday” like a typeface screaming Wanted: Dead or Alive.



Example of Algerian font misuse on a Bar Mitzvah design, showing how the typeface gives a dated Wild West saloon vibe

Lobster

Yes, it’s cute. Yes, it’s a script font with charisma. But much like glitter, once you use Lobster, it gets everywhere. Suddenly your bakery logo looks exactly like 3,000 other bakery logos. I may as well have called my business Generic Cupcake Co.


Impact

I thought I was making a bold statement. What I actually made was a meme. To this day, whenever I see Impact, I can hear the faint echo of “Top Text, Bottom Text.” I’m sorry for ever thinking it was a branding font. It belongs on memes about cats, not corporate presentations.


Billboard design for The Husband and Wife Law Team featuring bold Impact font text

Honorable Mentions:

  • Brush Script – for when you want your logo to scream “Grandma’s Nail Salon, est. 1987.”

  • Jokerman – I don’t even have words. Just regret. Pure regret.

  • Times New Roman – not a bad font, just traumatic flashbacks to writing essays at 3am.



The Lesson? The Fonts I Regret Using Taught Me Everything

Fonts have personalities, and like people, not all of them should be invited to the party. Especially not Comic Sans.



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