I love a good tiddle, or as you might know it, a serif. It’s that little decorative piece that is a part of some fonts and typefaces.

The most common is Times New Roman, and it was the default on Microsoft Word, for as long as I can remember. And then it changed.

In 2007, the Calibri typeface became the Microsoft default. A sans serif (meaning, without serif). And suddenly my writing tried to become tiddle-free. But I resisted, because like most people, I’m not a big fan of change.

Eventually though, I embraced the no-nonsense Calibri. It seemed cleaner and easier to read.

In 2023, Calibri became the default font for documents and letters produced by the US State department. The reason? Studies had shown that it made documents easier to read for those with visual disabilities. Which seemed like a good reason.

Last month, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio directed diplomats to return to Times New Roman from Calibri. He stated the change to Calibri had been wasteful, confusing, and unbefitting the dignity of U.S. government documents.

I guess looking dignified matters more than accessibility.

With all that’s going on around the world, it seems like someone is fiddling with fonts while Rome burns.

                
Have a great week and remember: to see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.