Writer's Grove

Papyrus is evil and must be destroyed

There was a time—for about a month after its release—when Papyrus might have been a good choice to use for whatever design thingie you had to complete. Then everyone started using it for all possible purposes—for menus and garage sale fliers and real estate developments and dental offices—and it was ruined by its very ubiquity.

Aside from its abuse by the general public, it is probably the most poorly kerned typeface I have ever seen. It should be flushed on that reason alone.

The reason for its popularity had much to do with the fact that it was included in Microsoft’s software, and it wasn’t Times, Helvetica, or Comic Sans. (And the fact that it’s not Comic Sans is about the only thing it has going for it.) Now, however, it simply needs to go away. Don’t believe me? Want to help? Check out the links below.

• If you’d like to get in on the ground floor of a new flickr group,  you can add to the photos at PapyrusSucks.
• There’s an extensive site of submitted photos broken down into categories called PapyrusWatch. The link will take you to logos, but there are additional links on the right side of the page that will show you examples of Papyrus abuse in packaging, calendars, etc. 
• You can click here and look at the god-awful kerning between the capitals and lowercase letters, and notice how the studly hardhat man doesn’t seem to fit with the Egyptian-y font. On this company’s trailers in Arizona, the kerning between the T and the rest of the word is so bad that it reads like T roon instead of Troon.

Are you ready to take the pledge? Do it! I have, and now my soul feels as pure and white as bedclothes in a detergent commercial.