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My boss uses Comic Sans for all of their e-mails. I don't mind it for intra-company communications, but it doesn't strike me as very professional to send out to clients as it doesn't have a very good reputation in the business world.
Because they're my superior, I feel awkward bringing it up, but I think it's something that needs to be brought up. How do I word it to my boss so they are not offended but also change their typeface to something more professional?
Start by asking your manager if there's a reason why he chose Comic Sans.
Hey John, I noticed that you write your emails in Comic Sans font. Is there some specific reason you picked that font?
Most likely, he would respond with, "no specific reason", "it looked good", "my secretary configured it", etc.
Then continue with this:
I read an interesting article the other day, which said that Comic Sans has a mixed reputation in the business. I wonder what our client thinks about it, perhaps they don't care, but just thought I should let you know.
This gets the message across, doesn't sound condescending, ensures that your manager doesn't lose face, and also saves you from the awkwardness of "recommending" a font to your superior, because you are putting the decision in his hands. If your manager is a reasonable person, it is hard to imagine him taking offence to this, especially since you offered to first understand his reason rather than just pass judgement. :)
In addition, it also lets you save face if the manager has some genuine reason. For example, if the font was the default on his computer and he hasn't figured out how to change it, or the client "likes" that font!
PS: As David K pointed out in the comment, you might want to keep such an article handy. Make sure that it is from a reputed source, not a random blog, and don't send it to your manager unless he insists.
There is a website Comic Sans Criminal, which allows you to sent your boss an anonymous e-mail informing about the inappropriateness of this font. If you do choose an appropriate timing and are not known as a typography expert at work, it should not be relatable to you.
Of course, this at most works for this particular problem and if your boss chooses to switch to Papyrus, you need a different solution. Also, you are probably burning the bridge to bring up this topic in a non-anonymous way, should this approach not work.
Note that I have not tested this service yet and thus do not know whether the mail contains IPs or other identifiable information. Neither do I know what they do with those e-mail adresses. Use at your own risk and better test it with a mail to yourself first.
Finally note that sharing your boss’s email may be or may be considered a breach of rules.
Is there a reason to avoid directly asking the question? If you have regular one-on-one's with your boss, you could ask him about this during one of them (if you aren't having them start!). He may simply be unaware of how a typeface can affect the perception of the message.
I see no need for anonymous communication. This is an opportunity to show you are looking out for the company image and want to help.
You could start with something like:
Can I ask you a question about the font you use in email messages? I think you're using Comic-sans and in my experience it can carry a negative connotation, especially in a business setting. This is an area I'm interested in and I'd be happy to help select a strong font to carry our business message to our customers.
You could also come prepared with the website mentioned @Wrzlprmft's answer. And if you do go the route of wanting to suggest alternatives that are not "Times Roman", come prepared with those too. Bring solutions to the table!
The Approach
The Conversation
What Not To Do
Definitely do not tell him that the font is unprofessional. He will get upset if you insult him. Rather, say that you think that this is petty, but a better font might make the emails look cleaner. Compliment him on his writing or such before you bring this up.
Never start a conversation by saying that what you're about to say is useless or stupid. It seems to be a habit of people to degrade their topic of discussion before saying it so that they don't seem ridiculous. Make sure it is known that you really care about this topic.
I would tend to avoid some of the the possibly over-cautious approach of these answers. Of course, subtlety and wit is very important in a corporate environment, and naturally your job is something you want to be very careful with - but brevity is the soul of wit and he/she will appreciate your honesty.
Think of it this way, he's making a mistake - and he's unaware of it. One can either tell him, risking animosity over negative feedback, or leave him to keep making that mistake and make a fool of himself. He's (hopefully) not a tactless moron and he'll appreciate your courage to step in and try and help him out.
It's very important that you exercise compassionate speech and comradery in a situation like this, adhering strongly to the principle of "constructive criticism". So long as you can stay away from patronizing him or treating him with disrespect he'll probably be very grateful that you decided to inform him.
If it were me I'd find a time where we were both together under immediate pressure, and say something like
Hey, I'd been meaning to talk to you actually.
I'm a little concerned that a lot of people don't see the font you use in your emails as being appropriate for corporate communication - there's a general consensus that it's a kind of silly font. While I don't think any of us are in any way offended, this idea is pretty widespread and I'm just concious that you mightn't know of this. If you'd like I'd be interested in helping pick a font to better represent our business ...
It might seem childish or blunt to some, but in my own experiences I've found that simple honesty rarely goes amiss - speak your mind in a respectful manner at an appropriate time and there's very little to go wrong :) Good luck!
