National Ampersand Day

By Staff, 09/8/17 7:49 AM

NATIONAL AMPERSAND DAY

Who doesn’t love the fun & functional ampersand? From jotting a shorthand “and” to branding corporate names, this curly, quirky little character is ubiquitously useful. It’s also quite aesthetic, as you’ll see at AmperArt.com, featuring “the ampersand as fun & fabulous art.”

To acknowledge & applaud this great little glyph, National Ampersand Day is observed annually on September 8th. (To find out why this date was chosen, read here.)

DID YOU KNOW…

The ampersand used to be the last letter of the alphabet?
The ampersand is a ligature of “e” & “t”? That’s “et” in Latin, meaning “and.”
The word “ampersand” is a slurring of “real words” run together over time?
The plus sign is actually an ampersand?
Discover more interesting facts about the ampersand — including details on those you just read — & see “the ampersand as fun & fabulous art” at AmperArt.com.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Celebrate National Ampersand Day by having fun with the ampersand:

Use lots & lots of ampersands!
Substitute “&” for “and” in everything you write.
Think of syllable replacements such as &roid, c&elabra, b&.
Send friends whose names contain “and” a special note — &y, &rea, Alex&er, Gr&ma.
Design new styles of ampersands. (Remember, the ampersand represents the letters “et.”)
Use #AmpersandDay on social media.
Visit AmperArt.com.

HISTORY

National Ampersand Day was founded by designer & typographer Chaz DeSimone in 2015. His monthly design project, AmperArt, features “the ampersand as fun & fabulous art.”