The US Department of State is replacing the Times New Roman font with an easier-to-read font. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the decision to employees with an email headed:
The Times (New Roman) are a’Changin.
Here’s how the Washington Post reported the news online.
Reducing a reader’s cognitive load is important.
Addressing the overuse of capital letters should be the next initiative. The department appears, like many organizations, to capitalize unnecessarily. Here’s an example from its website at https://lnkd.in/g4nm3BMV
Unnecessary capitals are like speed bumps. They slow readers.
The overuse of capital letters is probably a result of advertising’s influence on everyday communication. But the attempt to draw attention to a word or phrase only results in “shouty” language.
Perhaps the next Washington Post story headline might be:
US State Department bans unnecessary capitals, boosts readability, and encourages others to do the same
And perhaps the next email subject line from US Secretary Blinken could be:
Capitals my friend, are blowin’ in the wind.
#clearcommunication #cuttheclutter #plainlanguage