According to Garrett Nichols, a tactic differs from a strategy in that it relies on the absence of power, rather than its presence, to achieve its goal. Therefore, tactical type is “intended to subvert the dominant structure…to engage the message through a semantic lens that may run counter to our expectations of propriety or occasion” (52). Nichols argues that tactical types, specifically Comic Sans, can be extremely effective if used in the right rhetorical situation. There are a couple of adjectives proven to be associated with Comic Sans — friendly, dismissive, and tacky. I have vivid memories of being in computer class as a child and insisting upon using Comic Sans precisely because I thought it was friendly. But if I used that font in almost any graphic design situation now, it would most likely be received poorly. Maybe if it was used for a daycare or child-related event, it could be pulled it off, or for a company/organization whose mission statement prioritizes friendliness. What about the Black Lives Matter movement, though? At first, that seems like a situation in which Comic Sans could be nothing but tacky. Nichols makes a case for this usage however, pointing to 2014 when NBA player Derrick Rose plastered “I Can’t Breathe” in large, white Comic Sans on a pre-game tshirt after NY police murdered Eric Garner. This message was obviously not meant to evoke positivity, let alone friendliness. What it meant to evoke was dismissiveness, or “helplessness,” (54) which as mentioned earlier, is a widely recognized American response to the use of Comic Sans. It is also a widely recognized American response to racism, police brutality, and the BLM movement.
I think this entire discussion could be considered a long digression from our discussion in week one and from my first blog post about breaking the rules. They say if you can break the rules but remain effective, then you should indeed break the rules. All Nichols’ argument does is broaden the scope of what is considered to be effective. The combination of Comic Sans and the BLM movement made sense in 2014, but now it’s 2021 and the same issues are prevalent. When George Floyd was murdered last year, NBA players opted for shirts with the overall statement “Black Lives Matter”, and it was no longer a Comic Sans type but a bold Impact. A similar if not identical font to that of popular memes. I may not be as bold in my own type-decision making, but I am very much a fan of using tactical (and/or tacky) type if it accurately conveys a message.
What do you think about these type decisions on the NBA BLM shirts? Is it supposed to mean or represent anything at all?
Intro to Digital Texts and Media 