![\"Comic](\"https:\/\/cst.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/f827400\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/5712x3206+0+736\/resize\/490x275!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F86%2Fb1%2Fea37ba1546db853ae3932d3d884d%2Fimg-4184.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
The font in question.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/span><\/p>\n Susie An\/WBEZ<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Why would the city of Chicago use what\u2019s arguably the most unserious font for a serious document? And why just three words?<\/p>\n Designers may choose a font to convey a certain tone to their readers. But in this case, it may offer a peek into the technological backend of local government. It might also be an indicator for requesting an elevator inspection.<\/p>\n If a font itself could be a meme, Comic Sans would be it. More often than not, it\u2019s used to convey sarcasm. So why would the city use it on an official document?<\/p>\n Comic Sans didn\u2019t always carry this reputation. In 1994, Microsoft wanted a new font for its desktop program called Microsoft Bob. According to company designer Vincent Connare, the font they were initially using, Times New Roman, did not match the relaxed vibe they were going for.<\/p>\n Drawing on inspiration from comic books, Connare designed Comic Sans to feel friendly, casual and easygoing.<\/p>\n As home computers grew in popularity throughout the 1990s, Comic Sans and other design tools became more accessible.<\/p>\n \u201c\u200aThis typeface being widely available to the public was one of the reasons why it got so widely adopted,\u201d said Lee Zelenak, designer and lecturer at the DePaul University School of Design. \u201c\u200aBut when you have this democratization of design and everyone can be a designer, you lose a little bit of that control over what they’re gonna use it for.\u201d<\/p>\n Portrait of Charles Moore, elevator operator at Cook County Hospital at 1835 West Harrison Street in Chicago, Illinois, circa 1911. Moore is standing in the open entrance to his elevator.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/span><\/p>\n Chicago Daily News, Inc.\/DN-0056446, Chicago Daily News collection, Chicago History Museum<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n According to Thomas Quinn, vice president of the Society for Typographic Arts, a font choice is like choosing your tone of voice.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can be either very official [or] you can be fun,\u201d he said. \u201cYou would talk to a child differently than you would talk if you were giving an important speech.\u201d<\/p>\n For years, users across the r\/Chicago subreddit have wondered about the font choice on the city\u2019s elevator certificate of inspection, trying to figure out how and when the Comic Sans appeared.<\/p>\n Redditors have identified the Lori Lightfoot administration as having the most instances of the Comic Sans certificates, but they also noticed additional standout fonts.<\/p>\n Each mayoral administration seems to have its own version of the certificate: italicized Corsiva for Rahm Emanuel, Comic Sans for Lightfoot, Segoe Script for Brandon Johnson.<\/p>\n One Reddit user posted a photo of a certificate from the early 2000s, during the Richard M. Daley years. Even then, the phrase \u201cThis certifies that\u201d is in a unique font, a much more official-looking typeface called Blackletter.<\/p>\n Elevator certificates over several mayoral administrations, each using a different font for the phrase \u201cthis certifies that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/span><\/p>\n WBEZ<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Could the switch in typefaces be a few elevator inspectors pulling a prank? According to the city\u2019s Department of Buildings, which oversees all things elevators, including inspecting and issuing certificates, no.<\/p>\n The agency said elevator inspection certificates are all system-generated. Whatever is causing the font to change is happening on the technological backend, which means the city\u2019s central IT department has the answer.<\/p>\n It appears the quirky font choice happened when the city migrated old software to different servers, according to Grant Ulrich, managing deputy commissioner at the Department of Buildings.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the font is not installed with this really old software, it picks the font with the next alphabetical name in the list of whatever fonts are available on that server,\u201d Ulrich said. \u201cSo this was not a choice. It was a \u2018find the next best option\u2019 decision made by a computer.\u201d<\/p>\n An elevator inspection certificate from the Lori Lightfoot administration. <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/span><\/p>\n Photo by Harrison Pious<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n But the theory isn\u2019t perfect. From the Daley era to the current administration, the fonts go from Blackletter to Corsiva, then Comic Sans and then Segoe Script, respectively \u2014 skipping over a number of options in between.<\/p>\n As for the fact that it\u2019s only three words, \u201cThis certifies that,\u201d with a different font than the rest of the document?<\/p>\n Ulrich said that\u2019s most likely attributed to a former city employee who is no longer around. (Typical workplace move, to blame a predecessor for the status quo.)<\/p>\n So if Comic Sans signals an inspection from the previous mayoral administration, should that be a concern? The Department of Buildings said no; it could simply mean the landlord or property manager may not have physically updated the certificate.<\/p>\n However, the elevator may still be due for an inspection. For that, call 311 or submit a service request online<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Comic Sans certificates are still out there in elevators all across the city, but those quirky fonts may soon be a thing of the past. If fonts are one way to convey a certain tone, the city wants to convey safety.<\/p>\n \u201c\u200aI think now this has been brought to our attention, it probably will go back to being something a little more boring for a little while,\u201d Ulrich said.<\/p>\n Sofi LaLonde is a freelance journalist and producer. Follow her on BlueSky at @sofilalonde.bsky.social.<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Courtesy of Emma Nippe<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Emma Nippe<\/b> is an economist living in Albany Park. She is a self-described architecture and design nerd, which is one of the reasons why she loves living in Chicago. She couldn\u2019t help but wonder why a city known for its skyscrapers, aka buildings that need elevators, would have such poorly designed inspection certificates.<\/p>\n Emma first started noticing these certificates after traveling a lot for work. She often found herself in non-luxurious, design oriented cities. But they still have well-formatted certificates.<\/p>\n \u201c\u200aAnd these places have elevator inspection certificates that are top of the line, like graphic design minded, all single font, beautiful serif,\u201d she said. \u201c\u200aTo come back to Chicago, a city again, known for its architecture and its design, that no one has noticed this\u2026. It\u2019s just baffling to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Harrison Pious<\/b> is a salesperson living in Logan Square. He is, generally speaking, not a fan of elevators, so he often checks the elevator certificates for inspection dates. Once he noticed the Comic Sans on the certificate, he saw it everywhere.<\/p>\n Harrison appreciates that he wasn\u2019t the only person who noticed this.<\/p>\n \u200a\u201dIt makes me feel far less crazy that I wasn\u2019t the only person both noticing and bothered by it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Over time, though, the font has grown on him. And he may miss it when it\u2019s gone. \u201cI\u2019ve also kind of grown to like it, in a really perverse way,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s something so quirky in Chicago that, of course we would have something like this.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n Source: Chicago Sun-Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Have you ever ridden a Chicago elevator that groaned a little too loud or jerked a little too hard? Maybe to reassure yourself, you looked at the inspection certificate, but what you found was even more concerning: not the inspection\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15137505,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[164],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15136751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chicago"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15136751-90.jpg",490,275,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15136751-90-300x168.jpg",300,168,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15136751-90.jpg",490,275,false],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15136751-90.jpg",490,275,false],"large":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15136751-90.jpg",490,275,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15136751-90.jpg",490,275,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15136751-90.jpg",490,275,false],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15136751-90.jpg",490,275,false],"ignition_item":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15136751-90.jpg",490,275,false],"ignition_item_lg":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15136751-90.jpg",490,275,false],"ignition_article_media":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15136751-90.jpg",490,275,false],"ignition_minicart_item":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15136751-90-160x160.jpg",160,160,true],"profile_24":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15136751-90-24x24.jpg",24,24,true],"profile_48":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15136751-90-48x48.jpg",48,48,true],"profile_96":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15136751-90-96x96.jpg",96,96,true],"profile_150":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15136751-90-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"profile_300":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15136751-90-300x275.jpg",300,275,true]},"author_info":{"display_name":"news.iNthacity","author_link":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/author\/atombo\/"},"category_info":"Chicago<\/a>","tag_info":"Chicago","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15136751","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15136751"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15136751\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15137504,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15136751\/revisions\/15137504"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15137505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15136751"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15136751"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15136751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What\u2019s the big deal with Comic Sans?<\/h3>\n
![\"Charles](\"https:\/\/cst.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/6908363\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/5803x3257+0+693\/resize\/490x275!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F8b%2F45%2Fd0a48e83418a9690f620f81f9e3d%2Fdn-0056446-pm.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWhy so (not) serious?<\/h3>\n
![\"20260603](\"https:\/\/cst.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/9e342a4\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/900x505+0+47\/resize\/490x275!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F76%2Fa7%2Fbc5e83494cacbafec3fa64bcf781%2F20260603-ccelevators.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"ElevatorPermit_HarrisonSample1.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/cst.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/bb44334\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/977x548+0+373\/resize\/490x275!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fb5%2F78%2F4388a1604b81a8648d27a547c603%2Felevatorpermit-harrisonsample1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nMore about our question-askers<\/b><\/h3>\n
![\"Emma](\"https:\/\/cst.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/ad59297\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/3024x1697+0+399\/resize\/490x275!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fd8%2F40%2Fae7c2d4d495ca9f26627f1cbd0a3%2Fimg-8252.jpg\")
<\/p>\n