We're all familiar with punctuation marks; they're the little additions to our everyday sentences that give things a little bit extra. If someone wants to make a clear point, they might use an exclamation mark! If someone has a question, they may use a question mark? But did you know that there are a lot more forgotten punctuation marks out there that are making a comeback in this modern age just in time for typography fans to take advantage of them!

• Forgotten punctuation marks were once common but have fallen out of use due to changes in language and writing styles.
• These marks, like the interrobang and sarcmark, can enhance expression and clarity in text-based communication.
• Incorporating forgotten punctuation marks in typography projects may improve message delivery in marketing.

Forgotten Punctuation Marks

By "forgotten punctuation marks," those are punctuation symbols that were once used in writing but have become less common or fallen out of use over time. These marks may not be widely recognized or utilized in contemporary writing due to changes in language, style, and standardized punctuation practices. While they may not be commonly seen in modern texts, these forgotten punctuation marks offer valuable insight into the historical evolution of written language and the ways people used to communicate their ideas and emotions through writing.There are several lesser-known or forgotten punctuation marks that were once used in writing but have fallen out of common usage. Some of these marks include:

• Interrobang: A combination of a question mark (?) and an exclamation mark (!), the interrobang (‽) is used to express a question asked with excitement or disbelief.

• Pilcrow: Also known as the paragraph mark (¶), the pilcrow was used to denote the beginning of a new paragraph before the advent of modern indentation practices.

• Irony mark: Also known as a sarcasm mark, the irony mark (⸮) is a reversed question mark used to indicate that a statement is meant to be understood ironically or sarcastically.

• Hedera: The hedera (❧) is a decorative symbol resembling ivy leaves that was used to mark paragraph breaks or to fill whitespace in early manuscripts.

• Dagger and double dagger: The dagger (†) and double dagger (‡) were once used as footnote markers to indicate additional information or references in a text.

• Asterism: An asterism (⁂) is a group of three asterisks arranged in a triangle shape, used to indicate minor breaks in text or to call attention to a passage.

• Percontation point: Similar to the irony mark, the percontation point (⸮) is a reversed question mark used to indicate that a rhetorical question has been asked.

Cool Typography for Promotional Designs

Although we'd never heard of some of these before now, it's amazing how useful some of these innovative punctuation marks included in the Progressive Punctuation font pack can be. Need to let people know you're being sarcastic (to help avoid confusion)? There's a sarcmark for that! Are you expressing doubt at someone's claim? There's a special "doubt" mark to cover you there. It seems like everything you normally want to express but can't through nothing but text is now achievable.

Sometimes it can be difficult to convey expressions through standard text alone when you're putting together marketing or promotional giveaways, which is why these punctuation marks (some of which are hundreds of years old!) could make getting your message across that much simpler. Of course, they would have to become more common for people to pick up on some of the more obscure ones (like the sarcmark) but question marks combined with commas may well see more use down the track. Just another interesting idea to keep in mind when you tackle your next typography project.

Takeaway

Forgotten punctuation marks, such as the interrobang and irony mark, can add unique expressions to text and enhance typography in promotional designs. As these marks gain more recognition, they could help convey emotions and messages more effectively in marketing materials.

First spotted here: http://www.creativebloq.com/news/lost-type-symbols-that-need-to-make-a-comeback