The 27th Letter

The 27th Letter

The Ampersand symbol, every designer’s long-time beloved friend has an interesting story. Around the world, it’s known as “the and sign” but did you know that it was once the 27th letter in the alphabet? What about how it got it’s name? Read more & see some cool examples inside.

Yep, it was briefly in the alphabet as the 27th letter. It’s name comes from it’s proper pronunciation during that time “and per se and” which obviously rolls off the tongue well enough that it was shortened to Ampersand. Pretty cool letter which begs to be tweaked & made even cooler.

Credits for images above:
Left column: Mobius Strip: Dave Bailey
Calligraphy: Laura Worthington
Octopus: Toby Triumph
Floral: thewheatfield / Katie Lombardo
Rusted 3d Figure: The amazingly awesome Ampersand Figures by House Industries

Right column: Top 3 – the late, great Herb Lubalin
4th Down: Steven Bonner
Bottom: Unknown, from 70 Creative and Practical Uses of the Ampersand

Here’s some more interesting ampersand articles if you’re interested:
Adobe.com – The Ampersand
Trusted Translations – The strange history of the Ampersand
The Ampersand blog
Blue FAQ – 70 Creative and Practical Uses of the Ampersand