Mrs. Hornoiu

The O's have it, a passionate defense of font choice

Not many people know this, but I almost completed a double major in Biochemistry and English. I read voraciously, and I love analyzing literature. In English classes, I loved my fonts (and not just because I could use them to lengthen my essays). The variety of choices and the different loops and swirls brought personality to my papers. Serif or san serif? Bold?! Italics!?!? What about BOLD ITALICS!?!? Formatting was my friend, my creativity, my subtle way of communication.

But then, my first love, science went online. There were no more lab notebooks, with diligently handwritten introductions, procedures, and conclusions. Graphs were no longer drawn with pen and ruler. The digital age took over and with it, my beloved fonts became another way to communicate. But the fonts I loved in English have let me down in my scientific pursuits.

Science is about PRECISION -- you must say what you mean and mean what you say. Communication is the key; other scientists must be able to understand and build upon discoveries. There is no room for misinterpretation! Can you tell the difference between o, O, and 0? What about q vs p? Q or O? 5 and S? Try it in your font of choice!

I promise to be careful in my font choices, choosing strikethrough zeros and q's with tails. Most of my typing has been curated to find the best possible font to communicate my intention. Tell me if anything is confusing, please!

o0Oo0O0Ooo0o0oOO0o0oOo0oO0o0oO0o0oOooO00o00OOoo0oOO0O0Ooo0o0oOO0o0oOo0o0O0Ooo0o0oOO0o0o

qpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqppqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqppqpqpqpqpqppqpqpqppqpqpqpqpqpqppqpqpqppqpqppqpqpqp