TypeTalk: InterroBANG

Q. What is an interrobang?

A. An interrobang is a seldom-used, non-standard punctuation mark that combines a question mark and an exclamation point. It was invented in 1962 by Martin K. Speckter, an advertising executive and editor of a magazine called Type Talks, to fill a gap in punctuation (particularly in advertising headlines) in which neither an exclamation point nor a question mark could fully convey the writer’s intention. He came up with the interrobang to indicates an exclamatory or rhetorical question, such as “Can you believe that?!”

Figure 1. The interrobang in use in the Americana typeface, designed by Richard Isbell. This was the original design of the interrobang. This character is not included in digital versions of the font.

It garnered attention from some graphic designers and type enthusiasts in the 1960s and was included in several fonts of the time, including Americana, which was designed by Richard Isbell and released by ATF (American Type Founders) in 1967. After that, its popularity faded for decades. It has experienced a mild resurgence lately, making appearances in more-current designs, including Amplitude Wide Bold and Fritz Robusto by Christian Schwartz, Constantia by John Hudson, and Fontesque Sans by Nick Shinn.

The usefulness of this 20th century punctuation mark, as well as the soundness of the design, is controversial among writers and typeface designers alike. These days, it’s used more for its clever-sounding name than the actual symbol, such as in the title of a publication from The Society of Typographic Aficionados (SOTA), a letterpress studio, a design studio, and other non-typographic applications — all of which go by or include “interrobang.”

Figure 2. Amplitude Wide Bold and Fritz Robusto, both designed by Christian Schwartz, contain different interpretations of the interrobang.

Ilene Strizver is a noted typographic educator, author, designer and founder of The Type Studio in Westport, Connecticut. Her book, Type Rules! The designer’s guide to professional typography, is now in its 4th edition.
  • HawaiiBill says:

    The interroBANG has a lot of fun and joy attached that deserves consideration of our use of written language needing some help with subtle notes. In a society so full of visible media where you can hear what–for example–the interroBANG inserts in meaning it is good to think about the difficulty of imparting that level of ‘ooooomph!’ with printed words alone.

    Disdain and incredulity are difficult to imply. They are frequently expressed in words that are intentionally opposite to literal meaning, as in, “And pigs can fly.”

    Putting helpful ‘new’ entrants into a font shelf would be difficult or impossible in digital terms but we have learned to use Dingbats where the case is still blessed with a couple of empty boxes.

  • Anonymous says:

    The interroBANG has a lot of fun and joy attached that deserves consideration of our use of written language needing some help with subtle notes. In a society so full of visible media where you can hear what–for example–the interroBANG inserts in meaning it is good to think about the difficulty of imparting that level of ‘ooooomph!’ with printed words alone. sesli sohbet sesli chat

  • >