Why has my email font changed? Well the other day I was out onsite and questioned about the new font when sending email. Initially they thought they had a caught a bug. We soon found out that this was in fact a changed made by Microsoft.
Microsoft has recently announced that it will change the default font for its Office products from Calibri to Aptos, a new typeface designed by the company. The decision has sparked mixed reactions from users, some of whom are unhappy with the change and others who welcome it.
What are the reasons behind this move?
According to Microsoft, Aptos is a modern and versatile font that reflects the evolving needs and preferences of its customers. The company claims that Aptos is more legible, adaptable and expressive than Calibri, which has been the default font since 2007. Aptos is also designed to work well across different devices, platforms and languages, as well as in various contexts such as documents, presentations and email.
Microsoft says that changing the default font is part of its broader effort to refresh and improve the user experience of its Office products, which are used by more than a billion people worldwide. The company hopes that Aptos will help users create more engaging and impactful content, as well as inspire them to explore other fonts and styles available in the Office suite.
However, not everyone is convinced by Microsoft’s rationale. Some users have criticised the change as unnecessary, disruptive and aesthetically displeasing. They argue that Calibri is a familiar and comfortable font that suits most purposes and situations, and that Aptos is too bland, generic and similar to other fonts. Some users also worry that changing the default font will cause compatibility issues, formatting errors and confusion among collaborators who use different versions of Office or other software. Here is a recent news article.
The debate over the default font change reflects the importance and influence of typography in our digital lives. Fonts can convey meaning, emotion and personality, as well as affect readability, comprehension and retention. Choosing the right font can make a difference in how we communicate, learn and create. Whether Aptos will be embraced or rejected by users remains to be seen, but it is clear that Microsoft is trying to shape the future of typography with its new default font.
Martin Mayes – by-line and other articles
