Having worked in a Staples copy center, I was left with two things that I just can’t get over. One is not understanding how people can want 500 copies of something in 20 seconds flat. Another is the incomprehensible amount of people who think the Papyrus typeface was “fancy.”
While it’s not exactly a font that screams opulence or style, it has been so horrendously overused that it has nearly reached the level of notoriety associated with Comic Sans. You know the one, that nonchalant typeface that your quirky aunt insists on using when she’s trying to come across as “just a regular gal.” She wants to appear approachable and relatable, but the result is often just a tad cringe-worthy. In a similar vein, the Papyrus font has become a ubiquitous, almost cliché, element in the world of graphic design. It’s the bread and butter of amateur design, a fallback for those who can’t quite commit to anything more distinctive.
In a previously aired skit of the popular sketch comedy show “Saturday Night Live” (“SNL“), Ryan Gosling (“Barbie,” “The Fall Guy“) expressed his disdain for the Papyrus font in no uncertain terms. It wasn’t a passing mention or a throwaway line – it was a full-blown, dramatic proclamation of a deep-seated loathing that seemed to have been brewing for years. His impassioned critique of this overused typeface had viewers both amused and intrigued, sparking a wave of discussion about the merits (or lack thereof) of the Papyrus font.
6 years after the original skit, Gosling has returned to the SNL stage, this time to confront the designer who used Papyrus for the “Avatar” logo. But it’s not all about the laughs, as this sketch manages to provide a glimpse into why this typeface has bothered Gosling’s character so much. His deep-seated hatred for the Papyrus font appears to stem from its mindless overuse, its lack of originality, and its seeming inability to convey the depth and complexity of the work it is representing. In the case of “Avatar,” a groundbreaking movie with stunning visual effects and a profound message about environmental preservation, the use of such a hackneyed font was, in his eyes, an affront to its uniqueness and artistic integrity.
Well, his insanity with the zaniness of Papyrus isn’t completely the fault of the font itself. During this 2nd skit, they reveal Gosling’s deep dark past. The trauma caused by his father, Johnathan Wingdings, creator of one of the most obtuse font sets in the world.
Check it out now:
