The State Department has reinstated Times New Roman as its required typeface for official documents, reversing a 2023 decision that adopted Calibri in an effort to improve accessibility for people with visual disabilities. The change, ordered this week by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, applies to all U.S. diplomatic posts and returns the agency to the serif style it used for nearly two decades.
The directive, titled “Return to Tradition,” frames the move as an effort to restore formality and uniformity in government communications. Times New Roman 14-point had been standard since 2004, but the department shifted to Calibri under the Biden administration following guidance from its Office of Diversity and Inclusion. That earlier decision aligned with accessibility advocates who argued that sans serif fonts can be clearer for some readers.
The new policy reflects the Trump administration’s broader retreat from diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across federal agencies. In recent months, the administration has removed DEI-aligned programs, restructured related offices, and directed grant recipients to eliminate DEI components from federally funded initiatives. The Interior Department also revised its national park “fee-free day” calendar, excluding dates that honored Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth—both added during the Biden era.
Rubio’s memo contends that the switch to Calibri produced no measurable accessibility improvements and increased remediation costs associated with document formatting. It argues that serif fonts remain dominant in federal and legal settings because they convey permanence and authority, and asserts that returning to Times New Roman ensures consistency with those norms.
A State Department spokesperson said the change also aligns with the administration’s emphasis on presenting a unified national voice in foreign policy communications. The spokesperson characterized serif fonts as part of the long-standing visual identity used across court systems, legislatures and other federal institutions.
The decision has drawn mixed reactions among department employees and accessibility advocates, some of whom question whether the move prioritizes aesthetics and symbolism over usability. Others note that typeface alone rarely determines document readability and argue that broader accessibility standards may matter more.
Source: CNBC