Edit: to every new commenter saying that "designers should empathize with people different from you" - I fully agree. That's a primary facet of design imo. However this article could have been "why comic sans is actually useful" instead of "why you're a jerk who hates dislexic people if you don't think it's a good typeface".

Most reactions on here are to the article, not tolerance. Calling us "ableist" for not liking a font is a stretch. Just present a case for why it's a good font and leave it there, not everything has to be political, and I think most of us are tired of every medium article and tweet that makes the world seem that way.

ableist

Jesus Christ, give me a break.

When I used to look at these scrappy printed signs with wing dings and Comic Sans directing people to where the bathroom is, or that there is a $10 dollar minimum for credit cards, I just thought it was lazy but functional. Little did I know that these Part-Time Microsoft Word Designers® were actually carrying the torch for Accessibility, Social Justice & Equality in a world torn apart by aesthetics.

dis·crim·i·na·tion

noun

The unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex.

Nobody is discriminating against dyslexic people by criticizing the way a typeface was designed. Those a two different things.

Ever heard someone say "We should ban Comic Sans so people with dyslexia won't be able to access knowledge."? Probably not. Why? Because this is not the point.

It's really sad to go on Designer News — a community of people who ostensibly solve problems for people by empathizing — and see people outright dismissing an article about making things more accessible.

Is it discrimination to hate Comic Sans discrimination in and of itself? No. (Also: are headlines hyperbolic?)

Is it discrimination to not care about, or design for, people with dyslexia or other reading / visual / learning / etc disabilities? You're goddamn right it is.

There's a reason screen readers exist, HTML markup has semantics and people use icons to accompany text: there are people who don't experience the world as you do, who need these extra aids or affordances. So care about it.

Somebody has too much free time ...

Try Comic Neue.

For refined barbarians.

It's an article with decent content. Too bad the absolutist and clickbait (throughout the whole article) writing style got in the way of communicating what it is suppose to.

The article could've been used to let more people in on how Comic Sans helps people instead of bein uppity of how we are "ableist" scum and how we should "get over ourselves".

It's awesome Comic Sans has its uses, but get the fuck off your high horse and spread knowledge in a positive way, not a destructive one.

Whoever wrote this article lost the opportunity to actually help someone like his sister instead of being a condescending ass.

It’s odd that designers, who by trade are meant to be competent at empathising with a wide range of people, needs and circumstances, aren’t able to deploy those skills to understand the challenges that some people face.

Despite the article's honeypot title, it makes a good point regarding Comic Sans' (and others') accessibility in dyslexic use. Would y'all be similarly criticizing colorblindness testing on GUIs?

Funny to see the demo—which fetishizes empathy-in-design or whatever is the new humanitarian buzzword—revile this content.

"There are fonts that have been specifically created for people with dyslexia, all of which lack the clean minimalism or elegant balance and perfect kerning favored by typography snobs." (emphasis mine)

So rather than saying typographers might want to consider the needs of dyslexics when designing typefaces, they get cast off as snobs for creating well-designed typefaces.

Pretty much sums up the tone of the article: antagonistic and accusing, rather than informative and empathic.

I think the article aim at people who mocking Comic Sans because it's 'cool' or 'hip' to do that, without knowing any background about the font original purpose (and let's face it, there are quite a number of people like that) but to say that those people discriminate against the disable? That's a bit too far. :/

The content of article is quite good relating to Dyslexia, though like some people said here, it could worded better - and that title is inexcusably, and unnecessary clickbait.

It brings me great joy to know that what I was going to post in here after making it half-way through the article has already been posted.