A pangram is a tool used by type designers to visualize a typeface, also known as a holoalphabetic sentence. It consists of a text that includes every letter of the alphabet, aiming to create the shortest possible sentence. This allows designers to inspect all the characters in a font. Pangrams are also highly useful for typing practice, as they require the use of all keys on a keyboard.
You may be familiar with the Lorem Ipsum or the Quick brown fox pangram:
Each language has its popular pangrams, reflecting the unique characters of that language. A primary difference among various Latin-script languages is the use of diacritical marks. In Spanish, the pangram must include the “ñ”; in Catalan, it must feature the “ç”; and in German, it typically contains umlauts (ä, ö, ü) as well as the “ß”.
An optimal pangram should be as short as possible while maintaining a certain coherence in the meaning of the phrase. In this sense, the English “quick brown fox” has become a classic because it is short, uses all the letters of the English alphabet and is easy to memorize.
We often see these intriguing phrases in font previews from various type foundries. As a result, pangrams have become a staple in the popular culture of the graphic design world. This popularity led the Brazilian architecture and design studio ps.2 to create a limited edition typographic memory game for self-promotion, aptly named after the well-known pangram.
Quick fox and lazy dog are already icons of the holoalphabetic phrases that abound on the web with a myriad of artistic interpretations.
Pieces by Ferly ‘Peyi’ Novriadi / illustration: Jeremy Frau Annika; Levi Szekers
And there are even those who claim that the poor fox must be tired of always jumping on the same lazy dog. So the fox has taken the liberty of modifying the pangram.
It is quite amusing to overlook the practical function of these phrases and interpret them literally. The web is filled with illustrations and humorous interpretations of this kind. Nestor F enhances his stories with witty vignettes:
Without a doubt, our favorite project in this vein is Ina Hattenhauer‘s thesis. She first created 30 new pangrams in German and then illustrated them in a charming book.
It’s quite a challenge to try composing one with the minimum number of characters possible. Some even create pangrammatic poetry. Regardless, the result always has a humorous, curious, or at least eccentric touch. Want to give it a try?