US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has directed the State Department to go back to using Times New Roman typeface as the standard for official papers, a spokesperson told CNN, in a reversal of the previous administration’s update to the sans-serif Calibri.
Starting on Wednesday, all papers should use Times New Roman in 14-point font to align with the president’s “One Voice for America’s Foreign Relations directive,” the spokesperson said, adding that the typeface is “more formal and professional.”
The move undoes the Biden administration’s update to using Calibri in official department documents in 2023 amid a movement to make webpages and publications more accessible .Then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the change on the recommendation of internal diversity and disability groups, CNN reported at the time.
Reuters previously reported on the reversal, citing a December 9 cable sent to US diplomatic posts that said the move was intended to “restore decorum and professionalism to the Department’s written work products and abolish yet another wasteful DEIA program.”
Calibri is a sans serif typeface, meaning it’s a cleaner font without any extra lines attached to the letters compared to Times New Roman.This can make it easier to read for people with dyslexia or vision problems, some experts say.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility standards recommend sans serif typeface, but the American Psychological Association style allows some serif fonts such as Times New Roman as well as sans serif ones, pointing out that people who use assistive technologies can also adjust the fonts.
“Serif typefaces remain the standard in courts, legislatures, and across federal agencies where the permanence and authority of the written record are paramount,” the State Department spokesperson said.
The creator of Calibri typeface, Lucas de Groot, on Wednesday said he was surprised by the department’s reversal.
“I was a little bit shocked by the news.I think it’s hilarious and also a bit of a sad decision.
I mean, Calibri was designed to be very well readable on screen in small sizes,” de Groot told CNN’s Max Foster on “What We Know.”
He said he didn’t understand the notion that the typeface he created was seen as “woke.”
“I have no idea,” de Groot chuckled.
“I don’t know what the woke thing in it is.”
He explained that he designed Calibri to be as clear as possible for people with visual impairments.
“Designing a typeface in general is for me always a task to make it as well readable as possible and also to give it a sympathetic voice, a friendly voice,” de Groot said.“I think Times is a step back into the past.”
The reversal of the Biden administration policy comes as President Donald Trump has targeted diversity, equity and inclusion efforts across the government.
Trump signed an executive order in January to end “radical and wasteful government DEI programs and preferencing.” The administration has since ordered federal employees working on those programs to be put on leave and pressured companies to ditch DEI.
Some of these efforts, however, such as actions to curb DEI programs in schools, have been struck down in court.
This story has been updated with additional details.
CNN’s Aleena Fayaz contributed to this report.
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