hello! this is a rentry resource for why fonts and symbols are bad!
SR: screen reader
symbols!
π some symbols can break sr, which makes it inaccesable for people who use an sr!
lanuage symbols
language symbols from closed cultures being used from people outside of that culture is disrespectful and cultural appropriation. Over all its just disrespect to use a language from a culture you're not apart of as an aesthetic
Languages should not be used as aesthetic symbols/fonts
Why? Languages are a part of culture, it is the way people communicate with each other, build relationships, create a sense of community, convey cultural ideas and beliefs. In addition it influences attitudes and behavior. Using them as aesthetic fonts/symbols is offensive because it reinforces the idea that these languages are a bunch of cute symbols that you can use for your own benefit to make your bio look ββprettyββ. Because of how frequently these languages are used for decor purposes they end up being perceived only as aesthetic symbols/fonts and not a language.
ββBut English is used for decor too" English is a universal language it is used everywhere. It is often chosen by people of different nationalities as a common way to communicate. It is very common for many websites to be written in English. English is only used for making meaningful words so people can easily navigate through social media whereas other languages are perceived as random symbols and donβt make sense since itβs mostly one or two letters of the language included in a word/layout.
How can I help?
Whenever you notice a server or a user using these languages for decoration let them know itβs wrong and ask for them to be removed. You could send resources that explain why itβs wrong like this post. Whenever you want to use a symbol but are not sure if itβs a language or not you can use this website to check or use symbols which are alternatives that are not languages.
Now I'm going to talk about Greek language which is often used as fonts/symbols. I'm going to list the letters that should not be used as fonts/symbols:
Ξ,Ξ,Ξ,Ξ,Ξ,Ξ ,Ξ£,Ξ©,,Ο,Ο,Ο,Ο,Ξ΄,Ο,Ξ³,Ξ·,ΞΆ,ΞΈ,ΞΎ,ΞΌ
ββΞ±ββ I know this letter can be handwritten like this in English but when it comes to using it online this letter is automatically written as ββΞ±ββ in the Greek keyboard whereas for English itβs ββaββ
In addition letβs take a look at this picture :
These are both Greek letters the one in the left is the capital and the one in the right is the lowercase. The one in the right is usually handwritten like that in Greek although it doesnβt exist on the Greek keyboard. I've seen it being used as font/symbol before so if you see it donβt use it.
Please take time to watch this video and educate yourself on this: How this font became the face of Chinese food in America
Note: languages commonly used as aesthetic are Arabic, Japanese, Chinese, Thai
please look at this carrd.co for more information!
heres a carrd of symbols <3
a carrd about this as well! <3
fonts
Hi everyone, today I want to talk about fancy fonts and why we should stop using them.
You may be confused, what do I mean by fancy fonts? I mean fonts like this:
π»πππ ππ π πππππ ππππ
ππππ ππ π πππππ’ ππππ
ππ‘π’π¬ π’π¬ π πππ§ππ² ππ¨π§π
ππππ€ ππ€ π πππππͺ ππ ππ₯
Did you know that these fonts can actually be really problematic? I recently learned some information about them, and I wanted to share so that you can stop using these fonts as well.
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So whatβs wrong with fancy fonts? Well, visually impaired people, people with learning disabilities, and others, canβt read these if they use screen readers. Screen readers are technologies designed to read text off a screen so that people can still enjoy content audibly or through braille translation. Assistive technologies are built into devices softwares, apps downloaded onto the device, or braille translation keyboards. The issue, is that screen readers cannot read fancy fonts.
Itβs incomprehensible. Anyone using a screen reader simply canβt understand what the text is saying.
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In addition, those fonts can be difficult for some people to read even without screen readers. Some people with dyslexia and some neurodivergent people have trouble reading these fonts in general. They can be too curvy and hard to read (that being said, even the simple ones cannot be read through screen readers, so still avoid them).
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Now, what can you do? We can stop using fancy fonts! If youβve used them without the knowledge of the harm they can do (like myself), then thatβs fine, just donβt use them from now on.
I understand the appeal. Theyβre pretty and fun to use, but now that we have this information, we need to stop prioritizing aesthetic over inclusivity. Everyone should be able to enjoy content the same, and fancy fonts are preventing that.
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Next time you consider using a fancy font, please consider the information shared with you today. Letβs be more inclusive and stop using fancy fonts.
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Cr: @angeluved (ig), @ahsculted (twt)
this rentry can be used anywhere and was created by sunny bunny!
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i am so sorry for how many words there are</3 im just trying to help people out:3