Fonts can shape reality in intangible ways, as Phil Renaud, a graphic designer from Phoenix, discovered when he studied the relationship between his grades and the fonts he used for his college papers. Papers set in Georgia, a less common font with serifs, generally received A’s while those rendered in Times Roman averaged B’s.
While he acknowledges that his study was very unscientific, he wanted to remind all high school graduates heading for college that an element of surprise is important. “You don’t want to fall into the same pattern that the professor sees on every new paper,” he said.
When Comic Sans Isn't Enough, Sites Help Create Custom Fonts
by Peter Wayner
NY Times June 26, 2008
Quirky serifs aside, Georgia fonts win on the Web
I always give my students a choice of Courier or Times New Roman on their papers (12 point, double-spaced), but that's because if I didn't limit it to two I'd get single-spaced OzHandicraft or VinerHand or something equally inscrutable when it's midnight and I've been grading for five hours. :)
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