Monday, August 31, 2009

Swedish furniture chain Ikea is dealing with an unexpected backlash after switching the typeface in its latest catalog.

The company's decision to make its first font change in 50 years has provoked a worldwide reaction on the Internet.

The switch from Futura to Verdana has outraged some fans of the catalog, which the company advertises as the world's most printed book.

A posting on the online forum Typophile ends with the words, "It's a sad day." One posting on Twitter said "Words can't describe my disgust."

A week ago, a Romanian design consultant started an online petition called "Ikea, please get rid of Verdana."

Verdana was invented by Microsoft for use on a computer screen, not on paper. Ikea says it wanted a font that works in both digital and print media to reach many people in different ways.