I’ve always disliked the Papyrus typeface. To the amateur, they see it as being a font that “stands out,” is “creative,” or is “unique.” Me? I see a font with multiple flaws in just one letter. Why does it make me so mad? Because it’s overused and overdesigned, not to mention that Papyrus looks like it got sprayed with a sandblaster.

When I was in the sixth grade, our class was forced to read a book that came out in weekly installments in the local newspaper, chapter by chapter. We would read the story, about a Native American boy who could turn into an animal, and would have to answer questions and write essays on each new section we read. I not only disliked the story and hated writing about it, but I also wasn’t happy that I had to do this horrible and dull assignment once a week for an entire school year.

It wasn’t until recently that I realized why I disliked Papyrus (for what I thought was) the first time I saw it. In reality, I had seen this typeface much earlier, for it was this very font that was used in the newspaper to type the titles and chapters of the story I was forced to read in middle school.

This Native American animalboy was degraded to Papyrus because it is supposedly natural looking. Not unlike how Arizona Iced Tea, yoga mats, and organic foods are labeled with Papyrus. My first encounter with Papyrus has subconsciously enhanced my hate for it. Both the ugliness of the font and the middle school horror is why I have come to hate the typeface that is Papyrus.