The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article on Comic Sans, its creator, history, and the “movement” to ban it. It also discusses its popularity for use in almost any kind of document.
While I don’t like the font, either, I don’t think that it’s such an abomination that it has to be banned. It also seems to be used for titles (the article has an image of what looks like a fax cover) and single words (the “Australia” towel), where people want something that is big and stand out.
Comic Sans is like writing with a Sharpie, and I think a lot of people can relate to that. What it has going for it is weight: when you want to put something in big type so that it will be visible and readable, Comic Sans’s wide spacing, thick lines, and lack of serifs will seem like an obvious choice. Just try putting a few words in 72pt or 96pt Arial and Comic Sans (or, even, the ever popular Times New Roman), which is stronger? Which shouts louder?
I’m all for good type and stuff, but a lot of people just want to put text somewhere that will be seen. It may not be classy or satisfy a designer’s sensibilities – but it works.
