Kurt Cobain, a Comic Sans tribute

The memorial plaque for Kurt Cobain in his hometown of Aberdeen, Washington, is written in Comic Sans MS. Grunge is definitely not dead.

The backstory

Aberdeen, a small city in Washington State, is primarily known as the place where Kurt Cobain, Nirvana’s frontman and grunge icon, grew up. In 2005, the city installed a welcome sign reading “Welcome to Aberdeen – Come As You Are”, a reference to the famous Nirvana song.

But it’s another plaque that interests us here: the one installed under the Young Street Bridge, an iconic spot for Cobain fans. And this plaque, dedicated to the memory of one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, is engraved in Comic Sans MS.

Why it’s a gem

The contrast is striking. Kurt Cobain embodied counter-culture, the rejection of conventions, raw authenticity. Comic Sans embodies anti-design, the (unintentional) rejection of typographic rules. In a way, the world’s most punk font pays tribute to one of history’s most punk musicians. Vincent Connare, the creator of Comic Sans, would probably appreciate the irony.