Wingdings Symbol Conversion Chart
Date
Credits
- Charles Bigelow 2 Designer
- Kris Holmes 2 Designer
- Wingdings Translator Curator
Format
- Typeface 45
Publishers
Techniques
- digital 140
Locations Made
- United States 527
Alphabets and writing systems have shaped and been shaped by design as evolving technologies have formed more efficient and accessible visual communication avenues. With the transition from handwritten visual communication to moveable type printmaking, a limited set of alphabetical characters meant symbols became more difficult to use in typographical communication. Dingbats, ornamental symbols traditionally used in manual printmaking to add visual interest to characters, allowed for more impactful and detailed visual communication. With the rise of digital communication, it once again became difficult to decorate alphabetical characters due to the character limitations of early digital typefaces. Wingdings is a typeface that was created utilizing no alphabetical characters. Ornamental typefaces, including Wingdings, were developed to provide digital dingbats using individual characters to expand the possibilities of modern visual communication. These typefaces, featuring only decorative characters, have even developed outside of their original context to become their own form of visual communication with individuals learning how to translate the symbol characters into the alphabetical characters used to type them.