Ode To Ampersand

Ever notice that the word “ampersand” has the word “and” in it?

That is because publisher André-Marie Ampère used the symbol in his widely read publications, and people began calling the new shape representative of and - “Ampere's and”.

To typographers the ampersand “&” is a celebrated ligature of the letters in et, Latin for “and”. The “&” is as unique as the typeface it was designed for as you can see above.

In today's handwriting, the ampersand is sometimes simplified as an e superimposed by a vertical line. The ampersand is used to address a couple as in “Sarah & John”. With Twitter and instant messaging the ampersand is used also to represent the sound of “and” as for example “pl&” which stands for “planned”.

The ampersand is one of the most beautiful characters in the English language and many graphic designers' favorite character to work with.