he structure that Impact and macro instructions create is the stable ground on which creative mutation takes place.

True, not every image macro uses Impact, but this bold condensed sans serif typeface, white with a black contour, may be the most successful meme among image macros.

Richard Dawkins (1989) first coined the term. Memes copy themselves as exactly as possible, whenever possible, in the search for both proliferation and stability

the constraints of symbolic forms such as typographical shapes to the wings of a bird – constraints that enable flight

the act of condensing a sans-serif

These dimensions, while still allowing for distinction between upper and lower case characters, assure that there is as little variation in the visual rhythm of these shapes as possible.

is based on a thick, uniform rectangle, and each counter or combination of counters is of uniform size,

ondensed sans-serifs.

including Impact – were chosen for the purely pragmatic reason of mass compatibility.

Swiss Modernism

Impact became the meme font when it was programmed into meme-generating scripts, perhaps because the programmer was looking for an aesthetic that would be loud or playful, but certainly because Impact was practically guaranteed to be in the font list of most computers.4

cut and paste are forms of macro instruction

Image macros are named after macro instructions, scripts that save time and effort for a programmer by replacing a lengthy or repetitive task with a set of defined procedures.

Microsoft introduced a digital version of Impact into its Windows operating system. This placed Impact in a diverse line-up of fonts that included the workhorse Times New Roman, the typewriter-style slab serif Courier, and two bespoke digital designs by the typographer Matthew Carter: Georgia and Verdana.

In addition, the negligible cost of producing digital type meant that aesthetic experimentation in design was now less of a financial risk.

It was not until the introduction of desktop computers that Impact came to be a commonly used face

It began as

longevity, and the coexistence of these two characteristics – repetition and variation

the story of Impact and see repetition and standardization, the thoughtless ease of employing programmed defaults. But one can also look at Impact, a cultural replicator, and see variation and creativity spurred on by the constructive pressure of constraints

image macros