Tuesday 4 October 2011

Reflections 2 - Ampersands



Not until reading chapter six of 'Just My Type' did I know that the ampersand was the union of the letters 'e' and 't'. Learning this brought me to choose the ampersand above as it discards its own purpose.

The ampersand is a bold serif. Its thick, short stem give the bowl a exaggerated heavy appearance, almost as if it is obese. The serifs are short yet flowing and the terminal has quite a rectangular shape to it. The type classification I would think it to be is Egyptian or Slab Serif.

The relationship between the 'e' and 't' in this ampersand is why I found it quite interesting. The character has been broken in half, they do not join, completely coming away from the actual purpose and meaning of the ampersand. This leaves you asking why is it broken in two? Why is it not following the rules? Is it just a simple link to the destructive earthquake that hit Haiti or perhaps its suggesting a shattered relationship between two things or people. It can even resemble the classic broken heart look.