Mention the idea of using the Comic Sans typeface to your typical hipster technical communicator, and you’re likely to see them spilling their Double Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino Blended Crème all over their skinny jeans. People have created dedicated websites, comedy sketches, and even sung ironic songs to express their loathing for the typeface.
Dear reader, it’s time to put down that chocolaty coffee, because there is a case for using Comic Sans in some situations. Indeed, the UK government has suggested public bodies consider using Comic Sans in the Easy Read versions of their documents.
What is Easy Read?
The UK government’s Office for Disability Issues (ODI) leads the government’s vision of providing disabled people with an equality of opportunities and, to help achieve this goal, it has developed the Easy Read format as a way of helping people with learning disabilities understand information easily.
According to the ODI:
People with learning disabilities need to access all information, not just disability-specific information but also about their health, voting, work and gaining skills.
Easy Read uses pictures to support the meaning of text. It can be used by a carer to talk through a communication with someone with learning difficulties so that they can understand it, for example a letter from the council about council tax charges.
Easy Read is often also preferred by readers without learning disabilities, as it gives the essential information on a topic without a lot of background information. It can be especially helpful for people who are not fluent in English.
Easy Read is different from Clear (or Plain) English:
| Clear English | Thank you for your letter asking for permission to put up posters in the library. Before we can give you an answer we will need to see a copy of the posters to make sure they won’t offend anyone.” |
| Easy Read | Thank you for your letter about your poster. We need to see the poster before we put it up. This is because it must not offend anyone. Offend means upset people.” |
Here is an example of an Easy Read document:
More information on Easy Read:
- Office for Disability Issues—Easy Read and Makaton
- Easy Read guidance: making written information easier to understand for people with learning disabilities
- The Equality Act, making equality real
Easy Read and Comic Sans
There isn’t a legal definition of what Easy Read information must look like, and there are different variations across government (according to departmental style preferences) that meet the minimum standard. This means you’ll see a variety of fonts used in the documents.
Some organisations have decided to use Comic Sans. It is recommended by the British Dyslexia Association (as is Arial), and others use it because it looks like handwriting.
I must admit, I really dislike Comic Sans. However, if your audience contains readers who are dyslexic or have other learning difficulties, perhaps us Comic Sans haters should grit our teeth and remember we’re writing for our audience’s needs and preferences, and not our own.
What Do You Think?
- What do you think of Comic Sans?
- What do you think of Easy Read, and is there an equivalent in the USA?
Use the comments box to share your thoughts.
Ellis Pratt is sales and marketing director at Cherryleaf. Ranked the most the influential blogger on technical communication in Europe, Ellis is a specialist in the field of creating clear and simple information users will love.