Classy Stuff

I got this certificate at work the other day. Normally I would feel pretty proud of getting such things, but after observing the certificate for two seconds, I was ashamed my name was on it.

As you can see the dominating font on this certificate is Comic Sans MS. Now let me take a wild guess, not an educated one, just a wild one, isn’t the font supposed to emulate a font used in comics?? Why the hell would you use it on a serious paper, like a certificate? The usage of this font especially ticks me off. For some reason people think it’s classy. I have seen it in PowerPoint presentations, e-mails, even in notes from professors. The font is good, only when used in the right context. I bet you anything it’s the HR lady’s favourite font, and she probably used it on her wedding invitations. Anyhow that’s the first thing I noticed.

Second was the date, which was typed in Times New Roman. I got nothing against that font, but my argument here is Be Consistent. It’s one of my pet peeves when I see any kind of document without consistency in form. Also notice the “4 hours” next to the date. Why? Is that important information? Does anyone care? I see no significance for the time my self, although you guys may.

Let’s now move on the extra space between my name and my last name. I know the intent here is to bring more attention to the name. But is that the best way to do it?

The man trying to roll the gear along is our logo. Poor guys I see him everyday, and the gear hasn’t moved in inch.

Oh yeah the wrinkles are compliment of me. This certificate sat in my car for a good week, before moving to my table next to my other papers.

Lessons learned:

Used the right font for the right occasion

Be Consistent

Don’t provide too much information

As a side note, the course was great and I learned a lot. It’s a subject that I will pursue in a the near future.