My neighbor said my flyer looked like a ransom note

I was showing him a community event poster I printed, all proud of using five different fonts. He just stared at it and said, 'Looks like you cut the letters from a magazine. Is this a ransom note?' I used to think more fonts meant more creative. Now I stick to two fonts max for any single page. It made the next batch of 200 fundraiser flyers look way more put together. Has anyone else had a simple comment totally change a basic design rule for them?

3 comments

3 Comments

lee_barnes701mo ago

I mean, it's not just flyers. I see this with people's resumes now, like three different typefaces and four colors. It makes my brain hurt trying to figure out where to look. That ransom note idea really sticks, you start seeing it everywhere from garage sale signs to church bulletins.

betty_fisher52mo ago

Feel your pain, I once made a birthday card with four different fonts (Comic Sans, Papyrus, you get the idea). My friend asked if it was a cry for help. That one joke totally rewired my brain. Now I see a flyer with too many fonts and I just think 'hostage situation'. Your fundraiser flyers probably looked ten times better after that.

the_logan2mo ago

That ransom note comment is brutal but so true. What were the five fonts you thought worked together back then? I bet we've all made that same mistake before realizing less is more.