George P. Bush backs off on ban of Comic Sans font

Turns out Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush doesn’t really have a problem with fonts.

His announcement on Wednesday, April Fool’s Day, that the Comic Sans typeface would be taken off agency computers was just an effort to draw attention to the land commission.

“We did not remove Comic Sans from all agency computers,” spokesman Jim Suydam said Thursday, acknowledging that yes, it was an April Fool’s joke.

On Wednesday, here’s what Chris Elam, publications director of the General Land Office, had to say: “The only joke here is Comic Sans, it’s completely unacceptable for state business.”

The comments — including Bush’s about the “unrefined” font that “has no place at an agency positioning itself as a technological pioneer” — drew massive attention on social media, which is exactly what the agency wanted.

Particularly because the land commission launched a new website Thursday telling Texans about the work the agency does, which ranges from overseeing the Alamo to protecting the coast from oil spills.

“We raised awareness of our agency,” said Bryan Preston, communications director of the agency. “I think everyone got that it was a joke. … It was very tongue-in-cheek.”

This story was originally published April 2, 2015 at 11:46 AM with the headline "George P. Bush backs off on ban of Comic Sans font."