From a cross-like mark to a collision of exclamation or a peculiar triangle, diamond thingy, there are plenty of unusual glyphs that have fascinating histories and uses – which you may find very handy yourself – which silently shape our texts. We think these humble fellas deserve a bit more attention in modern typography, so, whether you’re an enthusiast or just curious about the hidden details found between the written word and typography, there is something here for you.

The Pilcrow ¶

Paragraphs are everywhere – you can’t help but find one lying about (there is one right here!) – but underneath every line break is a little hidden figure – the Pilcrow. A rather elegant character, the Pilcrow is really quite a historical glyph, having been around since the Mediaeval times. It was initially used to denote the beginning of a new paragraph or section, and while it’s fallen out of common usage today, it is still a hero of typesetting and word processing software (just make sure to select Choose Type > Show Hidden Characters in inDesign), denoting where a new paragraph should begin. Interestingly, the word ‘pilcrow; itself is derived from the Greek word paragraphos, meaning “a writing beside.”

The Dagger (& Double Dagger) † ‡

Rarely is type design so dangerous, but here we are. The Dagger (†), fanicily known as the Obelisk, and its sequel, the Double Dagger, known as the Diesis, a typographical symbol with quite an interesting, sharp history. Originating from ancient, typically religious texts, the dagger symbol was used to mark corrections or annotations in manuscripts, with its doubled counterpart (‡) often providing a secondary note. The pair of symbols were commonly used in early printed books to indicate footnotes or references, particularly before the introduction of numbered or lettered footnote systems. Some still use this technique today, whereby the dagger denotes a footnote when an asterisk (*) has already been used. The double dagger follows when more than one footnote is required.

In early historical uses, it became functional as an indicator of death, either before a person’s name, to signal they’d passed, or before a date, to signal the year of their passing (presumably, death by dagger). This has weirdly carried on into the modern day, albeit a slightly different context, indicating a death date, especially in biographical entries. Its visual similarity to a cross has reinforced this association with mortality. Fun!

The Lozenge ◊

The Lozenge (◊) is a stunner. As a diamond-shaped glyph, she’s quite glamorous, but beyond her beauty is tradition and functionality. The Lozenge was used in the early days of typesetting to indicate a bullet point or, indeed, to highlight a specific section of text, akin to contemporary asterisks or bullet points (boring!!). It’s less common now but can still be seen in a deck of cards (unsurprisingly embodying the Diamond suit) and is sometimes also used in mathematics to represent operations. In heraldry, it is used as a shield shape, particularly to represent women’s coats of arms, known as an ‘escutcheon’, symbolising honesty and constancy. Nice!

The Dinkus ⁂

HAhahahahahahaha. So good. The dinkus (⁂), yes, the dinkus, is a lesser-known typographical ornament and the best name of any glyph under the sun. Consisting of three asterisks arranged in a triangular formation, its origins are less clear than other typographical symbols, because, presumably, people have been drawing little stars for a long time. It’s generally believed, however, that it was formerly created in the 19th century following the printing press boom, as a decorative element in typesetting. None of this morbid dagger stuff, simply pretty shapes!

It does have a very pleasant use though as a marker to indicate a break or transition within text – letting readers know that things are about to change… The little dinkus normally appeared in novels, magazines, and newspapers to mark changes in scenes or thoughts, especially in serialised stories, offering a function similar to its cousin, the asterism (which we’ll come to in the next newsletter)!I think it’s safe to say that the dinkus has fallen out of favour so, on this PP newsletter, I’m formally putting out an appeal to bring it back. What’s that? Just a normal blank space to separate text? As if. Let’s get my boy, the dinkus, involved. MAKE THE DINKUS GREAT AGAIN!

The Section Sign §

The Section Sign (§), also known as the ‘double S’ or ‘silcrow’ (how cute), is a versatile glyph that dates way back to ancient Roman Law, whereby the glyph was used to signify a particular section or paragraph within a document. Still keeping up appearances, today it’s commonly found in legal documents, legislation, and academic references to denote specific sections, hence the super original name!

The Interrobang ‽

InterroBANG BANG into the room. Loud and proud, the interrobang (‽) is a relatively new typographical innovation combining the functions of a question mark and an exclamation point, crafted by American advertising executive Martin K. Speckter in 1962. Nice job, Martin!

Intended to convey both surprise and inquiry in a single, efficient symbol, it’s fair to say the interrobang is the high-performance car of the glyph world, and maybe its finest wordsmith too, taking its name from the portmanteau of “interrogation,” referencing the question mark, and “bang,” a printer’s term for the exclamation point.

It certainly came at the right time, with global advertising really kicking into gear (please see: Don Draper), and the marketing world did not disappoint, jumping on the Speckter bandwagon. For a bit. Although he believed its passion and dual-meaning would be long-serving, boosted by its inclusion in Americana and Remington typewriters, it somewhat fell from grace, that is, for daily use. Despite this, the interrobang is quite a unique little fella, and a fascinating piece of typography that sits at the intersection of language, design, and communication. It’s lack of popularity though, sort of seems mad to us, after all, how many times do you write ‘?!”. Like, all the time?! So I am, once again, on my soapbox. iMessage, WhatsApp and whatever, introduce the interobang as an contextual alternative when typing. We can do anything if we believe in ourselves!!!

You can experience most of these Glyphs in all our Typefaces! Make sure you go try them out!