YouTube viewers may have noticed an odd quirk with the platform’s font styling – video titles, descriptions, comments, and more appear slanted or italicized. This unique design choice leaves many users wondering why everything on YouTube is italicized.
The use of italics across YouTube stems from the platform’s early days. Back in 2005, when YouTube first launched, its simple text formatting options allowed creators to post video titles and descriptions using plain, bold, or italicized text.
Were Italics Chosen to Mimic Handwriting?
YouTube’s ubiquitous italics lead some to think they were chosen to mimic the look of handwritten text. After all, handwriting slants to the right, similar to italic styling.
However, YouTube was not necessarily trying to reproduce neat cursive penmanship. Instead, italics were offered as one of the few formatting options in early platform versions.
YouTube’s founders may have included italics as a stylistic choice to help text stand out against busy video backgrounds. However, handwriting simulation appears to be something other than the driving reason.
Impact on Legibility and Readability
While the origin of YouTube’s italics is uncertain, the styling comes with legibility and readability trade-offs.
On one hand, the rightward slanting text is distinctive and grabs viewers’ attention. Italics add visual interest to plain text. This highlights essential info like video titles.
However, diagonal text can also strain the eyes and slow reading speed. Too much italics reduces legibility, especially for those with visual impairments. Large blocks of text in italics are more challenging to parse.
YouTube likely chose the broad use of italics for visual branding. But readability needs more variation in styling.
Workarounds for Changing Italics on YouTube
YouTube has retained its system-wide italics for consistency. But several workarounds give individual users more control over text style:
- Using all capital letters avoids italics but also harshly SHOUTS at readers.
- Adding asterisks around text neutralizes italics, though this looks messy.
- Browser extensions like YouTube Text Fixer allow you to toggle italics on/off.
- YouTube Studio and Community posts feature text editors with flexible formatting.
- The YouTube mobile app allows unitalicized text in titles and descriptions.
These options provide some relief from YouTube’s rigid defaults. Users can now better customize their channel’s typography.
Is YouTube Rethinking its Italicized Approach?
While wholesale design changes are unlikely, YouTube rethinks aspects of its italicized approach.
Recent updates allow content creators more options to style text as needed. For example, Studio’s advanced text editor gives creators complete control over font styling in video details.
YouTube is also tweaking italics in its algorithm. Excessive use of italics in titles and descriptions can now trigger spam detection. Moderately using italics remains OK.
Newer features like Stories and Shorts use regular unitalicized text to aid readability in mobile formats.
So, while YouTube’s core text may remain slanted, they respond to feedback with more text styling flexibility in critical areas.
Impact of Italics on YouTube SEO and Discovery
YouTube’s algorithm parses both text formatting and content to optimize video discovery. While italics likely don’t directly influence rankings, excessive use may raise spam flags. Moderation is vital for SEO.
When used appropriately, italics can make titles and descriptions more eye-catching and clickable. This enhances the click-through rate from searches and suggestions. But readability remains vital – too much italics may deter viewers.
Design Limitations of YouTube’s Custom Video Player
YouTube’s embedded video player and tighter content alignment leave less room for advanced text styling. More font variation requires revamping the video template and information hierarchy.
So, while Channels and Studio now offer greater text editor flexibility, changing the core video pages is more complex. But improvements aren’t impossible, as shorts and stories demonstrate.
FAQ’s For Why is Everything on YouTube Italicized?
How do I stop YouTube from italicizing?
- YouTube automatically italicizes some text, but you can prevent this by using quotation marks around words you don’t want italicized.
Is YouTube italicized in writing?
- No, text in YouTube titles and comments is not italicized by default.
How to do italics in YouTube titles?
- To italicize text in YouTube titles or comments, surround the text with asterisks or underscores, e.g. italicized text or italicized text.
How do you format text in YouTube comments?
- You can format text in YouTube comments using Markdown. To italicize, surround text with asterisks or underscores. You can also bold, strike through, hyperlink, etc.
Conclusion, For Why is Everything on YouTube Italicized?
YouTube’s distinctive italicized typography stems from the platform’s origins and early design choices. While not universally loved, the consistent text styling creates a unique brand identity for YouTube. However, readability suffers in some areas.
YouTube is slowly addressing concerns by providing more formatting flexibility in new features. Ultimately, italics are part of YouTube’s DNA – but with tweaks, they don’t have to impair the user experience.
