How do you decide what fonts to use in your VN?

[LateWhiteRabbit]

I like Comic sans(because it's pop and cute for some reason). So since it's not difficult to read, I might stick up to it? :v

Can't tell if you are joking or not . . . . if not, please don't use Comic Sans. Please look at this website that explains it all quickly and easily.

For more history:
What is so wrong with Comic Sans?

Alternatives to Comic Sans at Blambot.com

[OtomeWeekend]

Oh.... never thought comic sans has such a big issue on the states Dx

Well, my vn revolves around a single mother(with a kid of course) so I had wanted to have a poppy and cute font for the vn... *bricks*

[Celianna]

Whenever Comic Sans MS is being used, I die a little inside. It was the most popular font to use back in early 2000, and is now commonly associated with ignorant, computer illiterate people. Oh, and designers hate the font, it's just, ugh, it screams amateur.

Use a nice sans serif font, regardless of what your VN is about. There's literally thousands of different sans serif fonts to give it a little bit of flair, but please, for the love of anything holy, don't use Comic Sans MS. Unless you want to become the laughing stock of the internet, of course.

[OtomeWeekend]

i see.I'll try looking for a different font instead (Glad I made this post) xD

Thank you very much

[LVUER]

Hahaha, a "bit" too late for that ;P I made a comic strip for a certain DA competition using comic-sans and garner quite a few comments about my font choice (^^;)

[Joey]

I wouldn't count using Comic Sans as a criminal offence. >>; I'm no designer, but there are many ways to make it (and any other "ugly" font for that matter) look better such as by editing the spacing/width/height of the characters in programs like Photoshop. But I wouldn't recommend using it, er, straight. Perhaps in the UI?

[tuna_sushi]

I used to depend on Comic Sans for a lot of things O_O
But after I get all busy with VN stuff, I never used Comic sans anymore
(I thought it was really cliché)

[redeyesblackpanda]

Comic Sans just reads so well to me... (I've been aware of its bad rap though)
I don't see why people are so sensitive about it... :/

[Pyonkotchi]

comic sans is a beautiful font and people should learn to embrace it.
so what if it wants to be whimsical and childish. FONTS ARE PEOPLE TOO.

but seriously. comic sans isn't as terrible as people act like it is, and if you do it right, it can look cute.
but most people don't do it right, unfortunately

i actually haven't run into people who over use comic sans, so i wasn't aware of the hatred
instead my school is filled with kids who think thats using Fancy UNREADABLE old english style fonts is appropriate for everything ever <___>

[LateWhiteRabbit]

I don't see why people are so sensitive about it... :/

If you read those links in my last post, you'll see why.

Basically - yes, Comic Sans would be fine for a child's birthday party invite, or something similarly childish and lighthearted. BUT - Comic Sans was used primarily by people and for things that should NOT be childish or lighthearted. For example, fancy restaurants with their menu printed in Comic Sans, rape notifications by police departments put out in Comic Sans, ambulances with their information on the side printed in Comic Sans, Fortune 500 companies putting up signs in Comic Sans, warning signs for real life-threatening dangers put up in Comic Sans, and, I kid you not, gravestones engraved with Comic Sans.

All of those things are wholly inappropriate uses for Comic Sans or any lighthearted and childish font. It made people feel like they were being talked down to or patronized, and it was EVERYWHERE. People started to hate it, both from the over-exposure, and the inappropriateness of its use.

Comic Sans has now become the mark of being an amateur. It is an indication that you are using stock fonts off your computer and likely don't know how to appropriately pick fonts. You still look like an amateur even if you use Comic Sans in an appropriate way. That is because there are a LOT of other childish and lighthearted fonts that are not Comic Sans that both look better and do not carry the same stigma.

In my old design class we used to haze the teacher or other students by swapping out fonts in their design with Comic Sans, then pretending and acting like they did it themselves while expressing our horror and dismay at their poor design skills. Comic Sans has become an insult in the design world.

Where someone asks whether or not they need to hire a letterer or a designer or if they can do the work themselves, I've seen a common test given. The designer holds up or shows something printed in Comic Sans and asks if it looks good. If the person says 'yes', the designer tells them they should hire someone.

[redeyesblackpanda]

I did read the links. The thing is though, I don't see Comic Sans as fun, I see it as easy on the eyes and easier to read because it seems more natural than a lot of other fonts with sharp edges.

[LateWhiteRabbit]

I did read the links. The thing is though, I don't see Comic Sans as fun, I see it as easy on the eyes and easier to read because it seems more natural than a lot of other fonts with sharp edges.

I can see that. The point I wanted to stress is that OTHER fonts are also easy on the eyes and easier to read - without being Comic Sans.



Those fonts are all from DaFont.com by the way. Another site is Blambot.com. Another is Comicraft.com. All I'm trying to stress here is that people spend as long and are as careful about their font selection as they are about music or art in their game, because fonts are equally important to the aesthetic of the experience. It just seems sad to handicap yourself right out of the gate by picking a font like Comic Sans when there are so many alternatives, many of them free, just not already present in your font library.

[redeyesblackpanda]

Hm.. I see.
I'll try using one of those to avoid the bad feelings towards Comic Sans.

[OtomeWeekend]

I finally found a font. It's completely different from comic sans though(found it on dafont actually xD)

[LVUER]

Well, as long as I can find other font that simple and easy to read, and free (for both free and commercial work), I will not use Comic sans anymore