Dots, in the guise of periods or full stops, are essential to writing.
Without them our sentences would run on and on without pause - an infinite sea of words.
The ancient Greeks understood the importance of demarcation: they used dots at varying heights in their writing to signal different stops or pauses.
But dots are multifunctional: not only can they tell us when to take a breath, or stop - they can also slow us down when they show up in threes.
This ‘ellipsis’, three dots in a row, can denote many things: an omission, pause for thought, or even sarcasm.
In addition to full stops and ellipses dots show up in important moments in our lives.
We sign on the dotted line - for our new job, will or mortgage.
We dot our i’s.
We connect the dots.
And, when we plan well, we might even arrive on the dot.
The quality of prints is measured in dots per inch, so, chances are, you are looking at millions of dots every day - without even being aware of it.
Dot matrix alphabet
Today, try to spot those dots. In typography, in graphic design: pause to notice all those dots on posters and paper.
Spot them, capture them and share them on Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #kramerseye.