In Typography, What is a Dingbat?
A dingbat is a typographical ornament, or a symbol such as an arrow or a pointing finger. Dingbats have a long and illustrious history in typography, despite their somewhat humorous name. Many type foundries continue to produce dingbats for people who work with letterpresses, and dingbats are also available in the form of digital fonts for people who work on computers. Many computers come with several dingbat fonts installed, and it is possible to obtain more. When people first began setting things in type, printers also began developing ornaments. Printer’s ornaments served several functions. In the first sense, they broke up the printed material in a design, making it easier to read and more aesthetically pleasing. They were also simply ornamental, of course, as the name implies, and they also occupied white space which might have looked awkward in a finished piece.
