Change the Default Font in Illustrator

In case you haven't realized yet, the default font in Illustrator is Myriad. This font is selected in the Font menu, Character palette, and as the Normal Character Style in the Character Styles palette. It is selected even if the document you open doesn't contain that font or if you last used another font before quitting Illustrator. Are you seeing a pattern here? For some reason, Adobe wants us to use Myriad. Heck, it's a nice font, so they may be right. But if this bugs you, then you can always change the default font by editing the startup files. It's a little tricky, but hey... if it really bugs you, then it may be worth it. To change the default font:

1. Quit Illustrator.

2. In the Adobe Illustrator CS2\Plug-ins folder, duplicate the current default startup file Adobe Illustrator Startup_CMYK or Adobe Illustrator Startup_RGB and give it a different name. (This creates a copy of the original startup file in case you need it again.)

3. Open one of the default startup files (Adobe Illustrator Startup_CMYK or Adobe Illustrator Startup_RGB, depending on which type of document you intend to use).

4. Choose Window>Type>Character Styles.

5. Select the Normal Character Style and choose Character Style Options from the palette's flyout menu.

6. Select Basic Character Formats on the left side of the dialog, and choose the desired font from the Font Family menu.

7. Click OK, and save the new file as Adobe Illustrator Startup_CMYK or Adobe Illustrator Startup_RGB in the Plug-ins folder.

8. Restart Illustrator.