US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered American diplomats to return to using Times New Roman in official communications, reversing a 2023 switch to Calibri introduced under his predecessor Antony Blinken. According to a leaked internal cable, Rubio described the previous move as “another wasteful DEIA program” and argued that Calibri was too informal for government documents.
The State Department adopted Calibri in January 2023, saying the sans-serif font was more accessible for people with certain disabilities because it lacked decorative features that can make text harder to read. Some scientific studies have indicated that sans-serif fonts — typefaces without the small finishing strokes found on serif fonts like Times New Roman — can improve readability for individuals who have low vision and print disabilities.
The December 9 cable stated that typography helps define the professionalism of official documents and argued that serif typefaces convey a more formal tone. “To restore decorum and professionalism to the Department’s written work products and abolish yet another wasteful DEIA program, the Department is returning to Times New Roman as its standard typeface,” it said. The cable linked the change to the president’s “One Voice for America’s Foreign Relations” directive.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Centre for Accessibility Australia strongly disagrees with this decision. Research has demonstrated that sans-serif fonts such as Calibri, Aptos and Arial significantly improve readability of text on monitors and mobile devices, and the decision will have implications for people with a print disability.
To find out more, please read the ABC News article about the US reverting Calibri back to Times New Roman.