Why I hate Arial
Many students ask me why I dislike Arial so much. I decided to write down my reasons.
Here they are:
First, I find Arial to be an unattractive font. To me, both Arial and Comic Sans rank among the worst fonts in history. Second, most people stick with Arial because many software programs set it as the default and list it early in the font menu, thanks to its alphabetical order. Third, no skilled designer has ever chosen Arial for a professional project, not in the history of graphic design. Fourth, if given a choice, almost no one would pick Arial for its looks. I ran some tests where people chose between four sans serif fonts, and almost everyone rejected Arial. This makes me think that calling Arial “ugly” isn’t just my opinion—others agree. These people weren’t designers, either.
Arial has been around since 1982, created by Robin Nicholas and Patricia Saunders at Monotype. It was originally made for IBM’s bitmap font library. Later, Microsoft adopted it in the early 1990s as a default font for Windows. The idea behind Arial was to create a font that could stand in for Helvetica without the licensing costs. It was meant to mimic Helvetica’s width but with small differences. Many designers dislike the cost-cutting logic that led to Arial’s creation. When Microsoft licensed it in 1992 for Windows, it became everywhere. Its popularity wasn’t due to style but because it was cheap, easy, and pre-installed on millions of computers. Not much care was given to making it look good as a font.
Robin Nicholas and Patricia Saunders were experienced typographers. Their task was to create a font similar to Helvetica that wouldn’t cause legal issues. They succeeded in copying the proportions but with small differences. Unlike Helvetica, which was carefully designed over many years, Arial was rushed for marketing. Even the creators admit Arial was never meant to be a top-tier font. It was just a quick fix for licensing problems.
Today, most designers dislike Arial for several reasons. It lacks originality, looking like a copy rather than a true design. It’s overused, making it dull and forgettable. Arial was created out of convenience, not craftsmanship, which shows in its simple, unrefined shapes. It doesn’t have the subtle touches that make other high-quality fonts special. Its bland appearance makes it unsuitable for serious or creative projects. The font is often linked to lazy, default design choices, lacking elegance, personality, or impact.
From a typographic view, Arial has many flaws. Its stroke endings don’t match up, creating inconsistency. The curves, especially on letters like “r,” “a,” and “s,” look awkward. Letter spacing is often poor, especially at small sizes, hurting readability. The letter shapes are plain and lack character or history. Also, Arial looks old-fashioned on high-resolution screens since it was designed for low-res displays.
There are strong reasons to avoid using Arial in professional design. It shows a lack of effort and skill. It suggests you’re not paying attention or trying to do better. It weakens your brand because Arial doesn’t stand out or add personality. Better fonts exist—Helvetica Neue, Univers, Avenir, Gotham etc do a much better job. Using Arial diminishes the role of the designer, who should aim to create and communicate, not just settle for defaults. Great fonts evoke feelings and engage viewers. Arial fails on both counts.
In the end, Arial isn’t evil. It’s just not good enough. It was a quick fix, not a piece of art. For design and branding, it offers little and takes too much for granted. It still shows up in many offices and old systems, but it should be left out of serious work. Good typography needs care, thought, and skill—things Arial doesn’t bring. Designers should choose better fonts, think carefully, and create with purpose. Rejecting Arial isn’t about being snobbish; it’s about doing what’s right.
References
• Macmillan, Neil. An A-Z of Type Designers. Yale University Press, 2006.
• Spiekermann, Erik. Stop Stealing Sheep and Find Out How Type Works. Adobe Press.
• Bringhurst, Robert. The Elements of Typographic Style. Hartley & Marks.
• Helvetica (Film). Directed by Gary Hustwit, 2007.
• Microsoft Typography Archives
• Monotype Imaging Inc. Historical Type Archives
https://www.marksimonson.com/notebook/view/the-scourge-of-arial/
https://www.marksimonson.com/notebook/view/how-to-spot-arial/
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