The reasons for hating Comic Sans are known and widespread, they’ve been repeated endless times over decades. And although they might be valid, Comic Sans has an undeniable strength: helping 780 million people around the world with dyslexia read better.
Which is why it is finally time for designers to stop calling for its ban, and instead turn that irritation into inspiration to create dyslexia-friendly typefaces that they do not find comic.There’s Nothing Comic About Dyslexia is not a one-off solution. It’s an invitation to every designer out there to create fonts that help make design more inclusive. And a reminder that all prejudice really does, is obstruct growth.
We might be a small organisation, but Dyslexia Scotland is made up of incredible people who extend beyond our staff and who, just like us, want to inspire and enable people with dyslexia to reach their full potential. Through our creative campaigns, we aim to influence change in Scotland and around the world by activating influential changemakers to be dyslexia-inclusive.
"People with dyslexia can be excluded by some formats of written information; and designers are key to creating more accessible styles of text. Our campaign ‘There’s Nothing Comic About Dyslexia’ aims to do just that, by giving designers the opportunity to be bold trailblazers on the journey to a more dyslexia-friendly mindset. It’s fairly easy, all it takes is their willingness to create change through what they admire most: beautiful design."
– Katie Carmichael, Lead for Creative and Digital, Dyslexia Scotland.
Daniel is a Norwegian graphic designer and illustrator based in New York, but can often be found in different corners of the world. He has worked with some of the best in the industry. His fresh mindset and love for typography led to published and award-winning work.
"When I was approached by Innocean Berlin and Dyslexia Scotland to partner up on a campaign using Comic Sans, I was initially hoping they were joking. However, as we talked through it I saw the potential in the concept. To attempt to create something presentable using Comic Sans alone might rub you the wrong way as a designer, but I saw it as an interesting design challenge that also has a good cause. Designing with Dyslexia in mind makes you change the outlook of how you’d usually approach the task, and I hope this campaign can open the eyes of others as well to consider an audience that is sadly often excluded."
– Daniel Brokstad, Design and Creative Direction, Brokstad Studio.
WeTransfer streamlines the workflow process for more than 87 million creative professionals in 190 countries. As a certified B Corporation™ since 2020, WeTransfer has long been a champion of using business as a force for good. Since the company's inception, WeTransfer has donated 30% of its advertising inventory to artists and social causes to promote ideas that can help influence change.
“As a certified B Corporation, WeTransfer integrates environmental and social values into every corner of the business and product. Our ambition is to educate our community about the need for accessibility in the online realm and encourage more inclusivity in innovation. By partnering with Dyslexia Scotland and Innocean Berlin, we are calling on designers to rethink the way they approach traditional design principles and create new typefaces that are not only beautiful but also dyslexia-friendly.”
– Lina Ruiz, Head of CSR, WeTransfer.
