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1 April 2013updated 26 Sep 2015 2:31pm

New Statesman to go back to the future with masthead makeover

To celebrate 100 years of the NS, we're moving to the most nostalgic font of all, Comic Sans.

By New Statesman

Keeping a format fresh after 100 years isn’t the easiest job in the world – but there’s nothing wrong with taking inspiration from the past.

We’re delighted to announce that the New Statesman is unveiling a brand new look to celebrate its centenary, using the popular Comic Sans font. Starting today, we’ll be replacing our web header and text fonts with Comic Sans, and the magazine will soon change too. Here’s our new masthead: 

 

. . . and here’s a look at our next cover.

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“It’s a classic font, and one which has been unfairly maligned,” said Wolfgang Brick of the Berlin design house Täuschen, which was employed by the NS to makeover the title. “Like the New Statesman, it is jaunty, fun and frolicsome. It doesn’t take itself too seriously.”

Simon Garfield, author of Just My Typewrites:

Comic Sans is unique: used the world over, it’s a typeface that doesn’t really want to be type. It looks homely and handwritten, something perfect for things we deem to be fun and liberating. Great for the awnings of toyshops, less good on news websites or on gravestones and the sides of ambulances.

The rehabilitation of Comic Sans began in earnest earlier this year when scientists at CERN used it to present the news that they had discovered the Higgs Boson.

The news that the New Statesman will be publishing in Comic Sans has sparked a rash of competitors already. Buzzfeed UK is moving to a gif-only format, while The Spectator has announced that from next issue, it will embroider each of Rod Liddle’s articles on to a sampler and employ owls to fly them to readers.

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Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
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  • Arts and Culture
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  • Client / Customer Services
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  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
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  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
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  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
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Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU