Personally, I have never thought much about typography when it comes to academic papers and assignments. When it comes to the very few design projects I have done, I have chosen other fonts purely based on aesthetics, rather than the “science” of typography. I have always associated TNR with academic paper standards and MLA format as a majority of my professors in my History and English courses have required 12 pt. font, TNR for all papers/assignments. I have resorted to using TNR for most assignments under the presumption that it is the most “standard” and “professional” font. However, I am not wed to TNR, nor do I feel any particular obligation to use it. As I use Chicago and MLA style formatting for the majority of my courses, I have resorted to using TNR as it is a suggested and appropriate font. I always operated under the assumption that TNR was the required font for MLA format, but after some research, I stand corrected.
I plan to use Palatino as an alternative to TNR in the “Mini Analysis and Proposal.” Palatino is a classic serif typeface. To me, it has aesthetic proportions between the letters, but also maintains a professional look suitable for academic documents. Palatino has light letter lines and larger letters, which allows the font to fit compactly on a page while maintaining legibility. Also, I was drawn to the aesthetic of this typeface and found it appealing, yet professional and readable.
Question: What is your least favorite font and why?
Intro to Digital Texts and Media 