However, when it comes to the default font in Microsoft, change has been notably absent for a staggering 17 years.

The recent announcement of a switch in the default font has unleashed a wave of fury among users, highlighting the emotional attachment people develop towards the tools they use daily. In this article, we delve into the unexpected font shift and explore the reactions that have left many Microsoft enthusiasts fuming.

The Age of Consistency: Microsoft’s Default Font Legacy

For nearly two decades, Microsoft users have navigated the digital landscape with the familiar embrace of Calibri, the default font since 2007.

The typeface became synonymous with Microsoft Office applications, shaping the visual identity of countless documents, emails, and presentations. As users grew accustomed to Calibri’s rounded edges and modern appeal, it became more than a font—it was a visual signature of the Microsoft experience.

A Bold Departure: Introducing Microsoft 365’s New Default Font

The announcement of a new default font for Microsoft 365, dubbed “Cascadia Code,” marks a radical departure from the era of Calibri.

Cascadia Code, initially designed for use with Microsoft’s Visual Studio Code, is a monospaced font with a distinct coding aesthetic. The decision to embrace a font initially intended for coding has sparked confusion and discontent among users who were attached to the familiarity of Calibri.

The Outcry: Why People Are Furious

1. Emotional Attachment:
   • Users develop emotional connections to the tools they use daily. Calibri’s departure represents a break from a long-standing visual relationship, triggering a sense of loss and disorientation.
2. Resistance to Change:
   • Human nature often resists change, especially when it disrupts routines and familiarity. The sudden switch to Cascadia Code has left many users grappling with an unexpected adjustment.
3. Impact on Branding and Identity:
   • Calibri became an integral part of Microsoft’s brand identity. Its absence may disrupt the seamless visual consistency that users associate with the Microsoft experience.
4. Usability Concerns:
   • Cascadia Code, being a monospaced font designed for coding, raises concerns about its suitability for general use. Users question its readability and aesthetic appeal in everyday documents.
5. Limited User Consultation:
   • The decision to change the default font was made without extensive user consultation. Many users feel that their preferences and opinions were not adequately considered in this significant visual shift.

Microsoft’s Response: Navigating the Storm

In response to the backlash, Microsoft has acknowledged the passionate reactions from users and emphasized its commitment to user feedback.

The company highlights the customizable nature of Microsoft 365, allowing users to choose their preferred fonts. However, whether this gesture will be enough to appease the disgruntled users remains to be seen.

The Future: Adapting to Change or Reverting to Familiarity?

As the storm of discontent rages on social media and tech forums, the question arises:

Will users eventually adapt to Cascadia Code, embracing the change as part of the evolving Microsoft ecosystem?

Alternatively, will Microsoft reconsider its font choice in response to user demands and revert to the beloved Calibri?

Conclusion: Navigating Uncharted Waters

Microsoft’s decision to change its default font after 17 years has stirred up a digital tempest of emotions.

Users express everything from nostalgia to outright frustration.

Whether the move will usher in a new era of visual identity for Microsoft or be remembered as a tumultuous transition remains to be seen.

One thing is certain—the font we type with can be as impactful as the words we choose, and in the case of Microsoft’s font switch, the reverberations are echoing through the digital landscape.

The post Microsoft’s Font Change Sparks Outcry After 17-Year Stagnation appeared first on WhatFontIs.com Playground.

This is the biggest and most important entrance in the website builder’s niche; the giant Microsoft having almost unlimited budgets and some of the best people in the world.

But it is not the only one, WordPress also launched its own premium website builders. We will discuss it in another article.

I bet that the existing website builders are not happy with this move. No one has the power of Microsoft and they will soon start to lose a part of their market share.

And what makes things even worse for competitors is that Microsoft found a super clever way to uniquely position its website builder, through a super collaboration with Facebook. I will explain it a bit later.

Website builders market share

Now let’s see how the website builders market share looks like. The information is from 2020, and it was provided by SiteBuilderReport.

It is interesting to see some stats, right?

As you see, WIX is by far the most used website builder on the market and because of that it will also be the most exposed to Microsoft website builder entrance.

WIX has over 4.5 million powered websites which is A LOT.

How much websites will WIX lose to Microsoft? We will see in another year when I plan to do a follow-up for this article.

What we know about Microsoft website builder?

Let’s see what we know about Microsoft website builder, there are some cool information.

• Microsoft website builder is under the Digital Marketing Center division.
• It is addressed to small companies that don’t have an online presence.

Over 36% of small businesses don’t have a website and this is a huge problem for them as 80% of customers are making their research online before visiting a store and make a purchase.

• What problem wants Microsoft website builder to solve? They will remove the barriers of costs and lack of time of small businesses to create websites.
• How it works? The website builder will automatically import all your information from your Facebook company page.

But you can also use it separately, as a standalone website builder using the included components.

• 100% free to use.

How to create a website with Microsoft website builder?

The process is very simple and straightforward, especially if you will choose to build your website from your Facebook page.

Step 1

Begin by signing up for a Digital Marketing Center accountOpens in new window.

You will be asked to provide a website; select the option I don’t have a website. Help med build one for free.

Write your website URL and hit continue.

Step 2

After you sign-up, click on My website in the upper right part of Digital Marketing Center screen.

Now you can choose between these 2 options:

1. Import information from your business’s Facebook page.
2. Build it yourself quickly and easily using website components.

Select option 1.

Step 3

Now you will be brought to the website builder view.

The software will pre-populate your website with components based on your Facebook page information.

You will be able to customize all these components:

• Headline and description
• Customer action button (Call now, Send email, Get quote, etc.)
• Cover image
• Business summary
• Social posts
• Reviews
• Gallery
• Business contact information
• Social links

After you make all the edits you want, hit Publish on the right corner to make your website live.

The whole process is very simple and quick.

And let’s not forget, it is totally free.

Conclusions

Microsoft own website builder will have its own place in the niche, and I am sure that it will find millions of users very fast, in less than a year.

The post Microsoft Launched Its Own Website Builder appeared first on WhatFontIs.com Playground.

Is this the missing element in Office in 2022?

Maybe not, but the change was very well received by the public.

Calibri have been the default font in Office for 15 years. It is time to let it go.

Microsoft decided to change it in 2022, and even if there are over 700 fonts in Word, the company has commissioned 5 new custom fonts for Office.

I applaud this decision; it is always great to have new font options and not the very same.

They will soon start gather feedback to select the new one. There are 5 options to choose from.

You will see them later in the article.

Why the change?

Probably Microsoft wants to update Office with a fresh new look and feel, and the default font is the first thing to change.

But is it important what default font Microsoft will use?

Whatever font they will choose, if it is not a super interesting font, people will not use it anyway. People can easily select another font or install the one they like.

Let’s hope that the default new font will be better than Calibri (I personally love this font and I heavily use it).

So, which are the options that Microsoft considers?

5 Fonts “Fight” for being the next default font in Office

Here is what we know about the 5 options:

• All of them are sans-serif fonts.

• Each font is different in terms of style – traditional, modern, etc. One is inspired by German road and railway signs.

• The names of the fonts are Bierstadt, Grandview, Seaford, Skeena, and Tenorite.

• Here is how they look.

• All 5 fonts were optimized for readability, especially in long documents.

More info about each font

Tenorite

Erin McLaughlin and Wei Huang created Tenorite.

Design style – Traditional

It is very similar with Times New Roman but with a bit more modern.

Skeena

John Hudson and Paul Hanslow created Skeena font.

Design style – Inspired by various periods of font design

It comes in different weights and it has very distinct curves on letters like S, A, J.

Bierstadt

Steve Matteson created the font.

Design style – The author was heavily inspired by the Swiss typography.

The name of the font comes from a mountain in Colorado.

Seaford

Tobias Frere-Jones, Nina Stössinger, and Fred Shallcrass created Seaford.

Design style – Classic old-style

These designers gathered they inspiration from old armchairs.

It is a super easy to read font and it will be a super fit for long documents.

Grandview

Aaron Bell created Grandview font.

Design style – Inspired from classic German road and railway signage.

It was created to be easy to read for long-form reading.

Conclusions

I said it a million times already and I will continue to say it.

The whole world is paying huge attention to fonts, now more than ever.

Apps, websites, software, machines, TVs, and even our mobile phones let us choose the fonts we like more, to adjust font sizes and spacing, colors, and everything else.

China obliges websites owners to make them more friendly for old people and I find this super normal. This is what all website owners should do, no matter if a law is requesting them do that.

In the following years, I bet that we will have the possibility to deeply customize the fonts on all our devices and equipment we use.

I bet that even our fridges will let us adjust at least the font size if not more.

The post Microsoft Will Have A New Default Font For Office appeared first on WhatFontIs.com Playground.