From most favourite to most hated, Comic Sans MS is facing a tirade of abuse in design journals and social networking sites. And it's even the victim of a global online hate campaign. The crime? Being too homely, looking a bit like it's handwritten and, well, just not being serious enough in the world of type design. From school fetes to wedding invites, to the majority of PowerPoint presentations, it's a face that people regard as warm and familiar. But through no fault of its own, its comfortable domain has been upset by a host of hate campaigns.

Comic Sans MS has even taken pride of place on the front cover of one of the world's biggest selling magazines and fronted a campaign for a well known sports brand; indeed, at its peak, it even appeared on TV to promote a popular classical music programme.

Now, it's appearing in numerous hate campaigns with mugs, caps and T-shirts calling for a universal ban. But is the font really so terrible that is warrants this vendetta; or should the blame lie with those who choose to use Comic Sans MS inappropriately? As one commentator put it, it's the gate-crasher dressed in a clown suit at a black tie dinner party. Another writes, "Comic Sans just smirks at you, and begs to be printed in multiple colours".

The face that, to some, looks like the writing of a young child was originally included in the Windows 95 Plus Pack that was a supplemental product to Windows 95. Later a Project Manager decided to include Comic Sans into the list of system fonts for the OEM versions of Windows 95. Finally it was added with Trebuchet, Webdings and Verdana as additional fonts to the Windows System fonts for the original Internet Explorer. Now it is part of the Microsoft Windows system fonts.

One thing the Comic Sans debacle has confirmed is that choice of font is definitely an important element when it comes to communicating with a connoisseur audience - especially in a PowerPoint presentation.

Previously font choice would not have created such a stir with the print and design industries. Type was simply viewed and accepted. However, with more familiarity and choice at most people's fingertips thanks to pull-down menus, we are much more influenced by the thought behind font choice. It's a way to express our intentions and emotions never considered with old-style printed type. We are all now more au fait with the differences between serif faces and sans serifs, type height and type style.

It's hard to comprehend just how much the choice of typeface can influence how we react to a presentation. The shape of each letter, the weight of a typeface, even the size of text can all have an effect on how we perceive what we are reading. But it's not just the typeface; it's also about capitals and lower case. The case - pardon the pun - of the New Zealand accountant who, three years ago, sent an email to all staff worded: TO ENSURE YOUR STAFF CLAIM IS PROCESSED AND PAID, PLEASE DO FOLLOW THE BELOW CHECKLIST. Now everyone knows never to set the body text of an email in capital letters - it looks too aggressive and gives the impression that you are shouting the request. The woman was sacked after her email was deemed to have caused "disharmony in the workplace", which would have been laughable had it not caused her so much distress.

There are a few basic guidelines to follow if you really want to make sure you don't make any font faux pas in your PowerPoint presentation. Obviously the typeface should be legible and font size should be large enough so that people at the back of the room have no problem reading the text. An unofficial rule is to take the average age of your audience and double the number to get the best font size for your slides. Whatever you decide, and whatever age group you are delivering to, try not to use a font smaller than thirty points. This has the added bonus of allowing you only to put the salient points on the slide and saves you from over-texting.

Some think that Lucida Console is the best face to use on slides as it is seen as the most readable. Courier and Arial are also proportionally spaced fonts and can be used in any presentation without concern. Always use the same font set throughout your entire slide show, and use no more than two complementary fonts (eg Arial and Arial Bold). Serif fonts are easier to read at small point sizes, but for on screen presentations the serifs tend to get lost due to the relatively low resolution of projectors.

Appropriate typeface really depends on what you think will work for your audience. As you consider which typeface is best for your PowerPoint presentation, don't worry too much about what's hot and what's not. Such obsession can lead to strange behaviour: Arts and Crafts designer Cobden-Sanderson who designed the Doves font, was so proud of the typeface and also very keen that his former business partner shouldn't use it after his death that he decided nobody would be able to use the typeface. Hatching a plan to drown every letter in the Thames, he began loading up his bicycle under cover of darkness and threw his font under Hammersmith Bridge. He made more than 100 separate trips, quite a feat for a man of 76. And much of it still remains in its watery grave, forming itself into such words as the tide dictates. Somehow I don't think Comic Sans MS will go quite as quietly.