BonFX

Typography & Graphic Design Blog

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Blog
  • Books
    • The Preposterously Huge Book of Google Font Combinations
    • The Big Book of Font Combinations (Classic Fonts Edition)
  • About
  • Gallery
    • Monster Alphabet
    • Pen and Ink Cartoons
    • The Algorithm FX
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Typography / 23 Really Bad Font Choices

23 Really Bad Font Choices

December 10, 2009 by Douglas Bonneville

Font choices can make or break a message. In the 23 examples we created below, we broke the message on purpose to highlight how on a conscious or subconscious level, poor typeface choices negatively affect the message in the copy.

First, pick an answer and then keep scrolling to the examples. You can also come back to this question, as it’s very important:

Would you find a whole dedicated book of "bad typography", and suggested fixes, something entertaining and instructive?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

Typefaces have personalities

If their personalities don’t match the essence of your business or message or text, you can create a conflict which distracts your audience.

We had fun below creating some absurd and extreme examples of bad font choices to make a point, but they are based – at least in spirit – on examples we’ve come across over the years. Hyperbole? Indeed. Fun? Of course!

So browse through these lovingly-typeset typographic wonders and consider font choices a little more closely on your next design project.

NOTE: Please put your coffee down before reading the commentary. You’ve been warned.

logo

“Softer please…I said softer. SOFTER! SOFT…AHH-GATHA!!!”

 

angelos

Like, maybe we could, like go for a ride later? Or like, right now? M’kay?

 

art-b-little

Typographer you are not.

 

ashley

I can see it now. Ashley is going to fill out my tax forms with multi-colored pen. Maybe even one of the metallic kind that bleed through the page, but look all shiny on the front.

 

be-very-calm

I find your request…difficult. Just give me a minute, k?

 

bruisers

Yoga mats, bamboo incense sticks, and mirror walls…could be dangerous.

 

ceramic

Well, they say the cobbler’s kids don’t get any shoes.

 

country-manor

I must hurry up and get my space pegged and claim an adirondack chair in the shade. But first I have to run to the bar to place my drink order. Shoot, look at the line!

 

daycare

Seem’s like Amanda is hiding something. An ulterior motive?

 

dr-fangser

We could deduce that Dr. Fangser Brown gives each client an application of his own unique style of cosmetic upgrading.

 

eatinwell

Ok, this example here is simply…a disconnect. There is no connection whatever between the personality and expected usage of the font with the business name or the industry of the business. Honestly now – how many times have you seen that before? How many times on the way to work today? How many examples in today’s mail?

 

fluffy-pillow

Hmm…I don’t feel so comfortable. This font sends the exact opposite feeling of a fluffy pillow. Angular, harsh, and generally uncomfy.

 

gutter-repair

I’ll let you ponder this one…

 

hire-me

No.

 

iron-maiden

This is an entirely offensive and inappropriate font choice.

 

lets-swim

What a shocking suggestion! Is it safe? Can I take my hair-dryer in to warm up the water?

 

microshack

Thank goodness we found a Computer Shack that was still open tonight! I need a new wall wart power supply for my Texas Instruments TRS-80, as well as a 50 pack of C-size batteries for my remote control toy tank!

 

playground

“Mommy, I don’t like this park. Why does there have to be old, yucky, band-aids all over the slide?”

 

remove-shoes

This is gonna hurt. I know it.

 

switzerland

I think maybe we misapplied a little something here…

 

twitter

Hadst thou not heardest of thither new-fangled tecknologies? A wee fowl didst tell me just now. But pray tell, what exactly is “Web 2.o”? And wither dirst it goe?

 

typography

This is wrong on all the right levels to indicate that an article titled like this is not worth a click.

 

willie-b-good

A lawyer who thinks he’s a comic – what a joke!


Yo, Font-Addict! Make sure to check out The Big Book of Font Combinations. Go grab a copy from Amazon or B&N, or grab the DISCOUNTED ebook PDF digital download version (40% OFF the hardcover retail price!) from the BonFX Store, and stare at all 350+ examples of informative font combinations for web and print. You know you want to!


More Resources:

  • Choosing a typeface timelapse – Brian Hoff (note: very cool video! check it out!)

Filed Under: Typography

About Douglas Bonneville

Douglas has been a graphic designer since 1992, in addition to software developer and author. He is a member of Smashing Magazine's "Panel of Experts" and has contributed to over 100 articles. He is the author of "The Big Book of Font Combinations", loves cats, and plays guitar.

Comments

  1. Abaloo says

    December 10, 2009 at 4:11 am

    Haha love it. Great bit of fun and point well made ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. paul says

    December 10, 2009 at 9:51 am

    Excellent post, you’ve really given great examples.
    Actually it reminds me of a similar concept (The Shining Recut)
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmkVWuP_sO0

  3. Douglas Bonneville says

    December 10, 2009 at 9:58 am

    Hi Paul: That “Shining” recut is hilarious! Putting that Peter Gabriel track (I forget the name) over Jack Nicholson’s character is a perfect audio example of what I’m talking about! Too funny and quite apropo!

  4. Douglas Bonneville says

    December 10, 2009 at 10:55 am

    Hi Abaloo: This WAS fun to make. Now it’s clear to me what all those fonts I never use are really for…posts like this!

  5. Boomsi says

    December 11, 2009 at 2:53 pm

    Fun post…
    however, execution aside…the example using “Computer Shack” didn’t seem so inappropriate to me.

  6. Douglas Bonneville says

    December 11, 2009 at 3:02 pm

    Hi Boomsi: I guess I could have made this one better. The thought was the phrase “hi-tech” mixed with a 70’s tech font. Decidedly NOT hi-tech by today’s standards. My Bad!!

    I had a lot of fun making this post…looking forward to Vol. 2 :).

  7. wparena says

    December 11, 2009 at 5:02 pm

    fun to consider these tips…now will keep in mind these techniques

  8. Hassan says

    December 12, 2009 at 4:33 am

    hire me… No (o_O) nice one,
    Nice post, harry up with vol.2

  9. Keith says

    December 13, 2009 at 9:42 am

    It’s sometimes difficult for people without an “eye” to recognise good design, but most people can spot the bad or downright awful. This post is great example of teaching good design by demonstrating bad design — rather like Vincent Flanders’s Web Pages That Suck: http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com/

  10. Ryan Duritsa says

    December 13, 2009 at 11:03 am

    These are all good, Douglas, but the “Let’s go swimming” is flat out hysterical. Nicely done! ๐Ÿ™‚

  11. Douglas Bonneville says

    December 13, 2009 at 4:06 pm

    Hi Keith: Thanks for the kind words. I love the Flander’s website – I hadn’t thought of that parallel, but it’s certainly the same idea. It’s easier to explain good design by showing bad design. I’d add that mediocre design is the hardest to spot. Both really good and really bad can be spotted from far away!

  12. Douglas Bonneville says

    December 13, 2009 at 4:08 pm

    Hi Ryan: The swimming one was the first one I did, actually. I was going through my font manager and came across that goodie of a font (Aarcover?) and wondered on earth I keep it for. I think I always had in the back of my mind I’d use it for a joke design someday :).

  13. Bonita says

    December 14, 2009 at 12:42 am

    big LOLZ!!

    take a look at this one.. “Key Health Medical Scheme”.. they’ve got billboards up and the whole lot.. :O http://mmsa.momentum.co.za/mmsa/KeyHealth/default.jsp let me know whether you would take them seriously..?!

  14. Douglas Bonneville says

    December 14, 2009 at 2:07 am

    Bonita: Yikes…is that for real? It looks like someone for whom health care is no longer an issue designed that logo…as a finale in a design career cut short!

  15. Bonita says

    December 14, 2009 at 2:17 am

    indeed!! scary stuff..

    what I mostly don’t get is how this got approved, and is currently being displayed on billboards along main highways.. :S

    perhaps they didn’t take a look to see what their competitors were up to?! ..and they’ve got some major brands to compete with too, being in the medical insurance industry and all.. :O

  16. Boomsi says

    December 14, 2009 at 8:42 am

    haha…yesss, so that’s what all of the crappy fonts we all have are for!

  17. stuart anderson says

    December 23, 2009 at 11:44 am

    This is 1 point made 23 times.

  18. Douglas Bonneville says

    December 23, 2009 at 11:49 am

    I can make a few examples more if the 1 point is not clear :). I had 23 laughs making this!

  19. Abby says

    January 1, 2010 at 5:27 pm

    Is is just me, or is “playground” spelled “plyaground?” Is it intentional? If so, why?

  20. Douglas Bonneville says

    January 6, 2010 at 10:44 pm

    Wow Abby! You busted me. How embarrassing! Well, not that embarrassing. I’m hard to embarrass. But you certainly motivated me to fix that typo! If you scroll back up you’ll see the corrected version! Some people just can’t splel or cathc typso very wlle. ๐Ÿ™‚

  21. Nick says

    January 10, 2010 at 12:15 pm

    Thank goodness Comic Sans made the cut…I was getting worried there for a second!

  22. Web Design Maidstone says

    January 11, 2010 at 2:17 am

    Great article, laughed my socks off…. surely there was a review of these choices before they unleashed them on the world?… that’s why you go to a professional

  23. Douglas Bonneville says

    January 11, 2010 at 2:25 am

    Never fear, Comic Sans will always be near…

  24. Mary says

    January 28, 2010 at 3:10 am

    Real or not these were hilarious. Thank you for such a good laugh.

  25. Douglas Bonneville says

    January 28, 2010 at 3:13 am

    @ Mary: Of course these are all fake. But I’ve seen some real ones that were funnier. They are just harder to find ๐Ÿ™‚

    Besides, making them up is much more fun and is an excuse to use some fonts I’ve had for the very first time. Probably last too!

  26. CHT Enterprises says

    March 11, 2010 at 7:53 pm

    OMG. I hope these people were not guided by professional graphic designers! I will link this article to my blog. I’m doing a series on “Save Money On Print Advertising” Articles 4 and 5 are about Fonts, Typefaces and Legibility. All of us in profession need to do all we can to educate our clients.

  27. stephanie says

    January 17, 2011 at 10:45 pm

    Interesting read, so many times people like a particular font and do not pay attention to the message it sends when looked at in addition to the actual words.

  28. Douglas Bonneville says

    January 17, 2011 at 11:09 pm

    Hi Stephanie: Of course my examples are all made up but the idea is based on actual signs I’ve seen in one way or another!

  29. JohnSub says

    June 13, 2011 at 3:19 pm

    Not only did that dentist pick a horrible font, but he couldn’t even spell his own profession.

  30. Matt says

    June 27, 2011 at 1:09 pm

    I don’t normaly leave comments on random page finds like this, but THIS IS AWESOME! haha good stuff!

  31. Ryan says

    March 19, 2012 at 2:03 pm

    Ashley’s Tax & Accounting Sercives.

    LOL @ “Sercives”.

  32. James George says

    September 19, 2012 at 9:56 pm

    These are some real atrocities! I especially dislike the electric text for swimming. I wrote an article about horrible fonts: http://www.creativebeacon.com/horrible-fonts-and-better-alternatives/. It’s a good read, and most will agree. Some people really just don’t look at their font selections.

  33. Michelle says

    December 8, 2012 at 3:27 pm

    Douglas- your blog is hilarious. Thanks for the disclaimer for those of us who laugh loudly and with our mouths open. I stumbled onto your page while doing some โ€œresearchโ€ for a blogging project in a writing class I am taking. If you want to see how I used your images you can visit my blog at: http://pwsatusf.wordpress.com/category/typography/

  34. Douglas Bonneville says

    December 8, 2012 at 4:14 pm

    Hi Michelle. What’s funnier is how some people don’t get that these are all made up examples! Glad you stopped by and had a laugh. Makes it all worth it ๐Ÿ™‚

  35. David says

    March 27, 2013 at 11:31 am

    Nice examples.

    However, just like in the film Weird Science, where they successfully replicate the experiment that created the ‘perfect’ woman (Kelly LeBrock), yummy; they forgot one small thing – they forgot to hook-up the doll.
    Here you have given us wonderful examples, even replicating some real examples – however the small detail you have missed out, or forgotten is – Where are their correct counterparts.

    I’m pulling my hair out trying to understand how type speaks, it would be nice to see the same above examples, but with the right font used.

    D.

  36. Douglas Bonneville says

    March 27, 2013 at 11:34 am

    Good point, David! I think that would make for a fun follow-up article with a “before and after” treatment. I’ll put that in the to-do queue!

  37. spottedstar1123 says

    October 2, 2013 at 11:18 am

    I have actually seen a sign for a graphic design place using Brush Script. *facepalm*

  38. Douglas Bonneville says

    October 2, 2013 at 12:45 pm

    LOL. A picture of that would be priceless. ๐Ÿ™‚

  39. Publilius says

    February 23, 2014 at 7:32 pm

    I really enjoyed these. Minor quibble: The TRS-80 was made by Radio Shack, not Texas Instruments.

  40. Wayne Davis says

    February 24, 2014 at 5:19 pm

    Not exactly on topic, but still great fun for those who love fonts:

    http://www.collegehumor.com/video/3505939/font-conference

  41. Alex Sawyer says

    February 25, 2014 at 5:51 pm

    I would add to the one with “Eatnwells food service.” You said there’s simply a disconnect and I would take it a step further and actually says it’s opposed to the message of fresh food. The chosen typeface is similar to the numbers one would see on a microwave. So it’s actually worse than just a disconnect!

  42. Douglas Bonneville says

    February 26, 2014 at 9:57 am

    Hi Alex: I agree, that’s a good point about the microwave. I have half a mind to do another post like this, the first one was so fun to make.

Trackbacks

  1. 23 Really Bad Font Choices | Design Newz says:
    December 13, 2009 at 9:01 am

    […] 23 Really Bad Font Choices […]

  2. Really bad font choices says:
    December 14, 2009 at 9:28 am

    […] Douglas Bonneville shows some hilarious epicfails in typography. Not real ones, but funny anyway. Enjoy the bad taste in font selection, click the link above. Epic fails in typography […]

  3. 23 Really Bad Font Choices | BonFX Design Studio says:
    August 30, 2010 at 3:41 pm

    […] bedrijven. Het bijbehorende commentaar maakt het helemaal duidelijk (mocht dat nog niet zo zijn).23 Really Bad Font Choices | BonFX Design Studio. TweetTags: fonts, typografie Stop reactieLaat een reactie achterNaam *E-mail […]

  4. Design Class Drop-Out | CMAccessBoston's Blog says:
    June 30, 2011 at 7:39 am

    […] Arial. Using fonts such as Brush Script, Papyrus, Curls,Impact, Comic Sans, Mistral, or any other cheesy โ€œwanna-beโ€ designer fonts in either your resume or portfolio pieces will likely disqualify you from the running โ€“ […]

  5. 5 Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing a Font for your Logo « marketing d.i.y. says:
    August 11, 2011 at 1:47 pm

    […] Disconnected Fonts: If you think of fonts as having a personality, look for ones that suit you and your business. If you’re a rock band, a bold jagged-edge grunge type would be logical. The same typeface for a retirement village might be a bit alarming to future clients. Check out these hilarious examples of font choices gone wrong. […]

  6. Is Your “Logo” Really a Logo? « SkyHawk Studios says:
    August 19, 2011 at 3:01 pm

    […] (for a good laugh, check out this article which gives actual examples of the worst fonts ever used in logo […]

  7. 5 Graphic Design Mistakes To Avoid - WE DESIGN STUDIOS says:
    February 26, 2013 at 10:08 am

    […] Graphic design blogger Douglas Bonneville shares 23 bad typeface examples to avoid. […]

  8. Best Fonts for Logos: Thoughts On What Makes a Good Logo says:
    February 16, 2014 at 7:53 pm

    […] creative and trendy. But be careful! Donโ€™t just use something for the sake of using it. Over on bonfx are some great (fictitious) examples for how important your choice of font is, especially when you want to represent a brand or an […]

HOW TO MAKE INSPIRED FONT COMBINATIONS (without spending all day clicking things).


Font Combinations Book  

On Sale Now at
Amazon / Barnes & Noble

Or get the PDF eBook version, INSTANT ACCESS, 40% off Retail, now at the BonFX Store

Recent Inspirations

  • The, ahem, “League of AI Artists”, 2022 edition October 12, 2022
  • How To Use DreamStudio / StableDiffusion To Create A Traditional Illustration August 31, 2022
  • DALL-E, pixel art, and a silly story August 9, 2022
  • A Bunnies Tale August 8, 2022
  • The Great Watermelon Conflagration of Watermelonville August 8, 2022
  • Edward Gorey’s…Cat? July 13, 2021
  • Grid Use In Graphic Design March 27, 2021
  • The Preposterously Huge Book of Font Combinations January 13, 2021
  • Three secrets to ignite inspiration December 22, 2020
  • How to “Draw Out” Your Creativity November 27, 2020
  • Finding Your Voice as an Artist: The Paradox of Originality October 18, 2020
  • Artist Frederick Franck on Seeing September 15, 2020
  • How to Move Beyond Creative Blocks August 10, 2020
  • Claude Bernard: The Only Way to Learn July 25, 2020
  • Ornate Leaf Sculpture and Crochet Art by Susanna Bauer June 18, 2020

Copyright © 2023 · BonFX

  • Blog
  • Books
    • The Preposterously Huge Book of Google Font Combinations
    • The Big Book of Font Combinations (Classic Fonts Edition)
  • About
  • Gallery
    • Monster Alphabet
    • Pen and Ink Cartoons
    • The Algorithm FX
  • Contact