State Department Waves Goodbye To Official Typeface, Staff Supposedly Sans-Happy
After decades of featuring Times New Roman on its internal documents, the US State Department recently issued an amendment to the long-time mandate, with an email from Secretary of State Antony Blinken with the apt headline: “The Times (New Roman) are a-Changin.”
Employees in domestic and international offices are now required to make a shift to the larger sans-serif typeface, Calibri, as the “standard font for all requested papers,” despite staff members’ complaints that the change would prove to be an inconvenience.
According to the Washington Post, the font swap was recommended by the Secretary’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion in hopes of aiding visually impaired workers, though others have argued that the typeface in itself isn’t aesthetically pleasing.
big news for font freaks: Times New Roman is being phased out at the State Department & replaced by Calibri. Secretary Blinken sent a cable to all embassies today directing staff not to send him any more papers with Times New Roman. Subject: "The Times (New Roman) are a-Changin" pic.twitter.com/HENLbRH3UQ
— John Hudson (@John_Hudson) January 17, 2023
An email seen by the publication explained that the “decorative, angular features” of serif fonts, such as the “wings” and “feet,” could “introduce accessibility issues” for individuals relying on Optical Character Recognition Technology or screen readers, and may hinder those with learning disabilities.
It appears that letting go of Times New Roman has become a debate that’s so fraught, a Foreign Service officer said a water cooler discussion on the font “took up, like, half the day,” while another even predicted “an internal revolt” over the matter.
As Gizmodo pointed out, this isn’t the first time the State Department has implemented a font change within its ranks. Previously, Courier New—known as the typewriter font—was switched out for Times New Roman in 2004, to similar protests.
[via Gizmodo and Washington Post, cover image via Stephen Coburn | Dreamstime.com]
