"If I had to pick a word to describe Calibri, the sans serif typeface which was the default font for Microsoft apps from 2007 to 2024, it would probably be "inoffensive." Sure, Microsoft's "extremely readable" font has had its critics over the years, but they've mostly just complained that it's too plain, that it lacks personality. I'd bet that for most people, Calibri just became a ubiquitous, thoughtless part of their normal life, from office memos to book reports,"
"Even Microsoft has said that unlike other fonts, customers didn't really have strong feelings about it. Everybody thought it was... fine. But it turns out we were all wrong: according to the Trump administration, this 31-year-old boring font is weak and woke. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday barred the use of Calbri at the State Department and brought back the serif Times New Roman, which was the agency's official font from 2004 to 2023."
"Rubio alleged that change - which provoked little meaningful controversy at the time - was yet another example of woke radicalism run amok, since the change was recommended by the State Department's now disbanded DEI office because Calibri is considered to be easier to read for people with disabilities like dyslexia or vision problems. Per the New York Times report:"
Calibri served as Microsoft's default sans serif font for digital readability from 2007 to 2024 and was widely viewed as plain and inoffensive. Many users used Calibri habitually across office memos and reports without noting its screen-designed readability. Secretary of State Marco Rubio barred Calibri at the State Department and restored Times New Roman, calling the prior switch wasteful and driven by 'woke' DEI priorities. Rubio said the previous change had been recommended by a now-disbanded DEI office because Calibri was considered easier to read for people with disabilities such as dyslexia or vision problems. The dispute framed font choice as a political debate over accessibility and ideology.
Read at Intelligencer
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