FUNCTION

The asterisk is commonly used as a punctuation symbol placed after a word to indicate that it refers to a note.

HISTORY

Star-shaped symbols are seen in documents from many regions of the world throughout history. It was only in the Middle Ages in Europe that the asterisk began to be used as a mark to link a part of a text to additional comments added elsewhere.

DESIGN

The asterisk can have many different designs in order to match the style of a typeface, from a very abstract five-branched star to more flourished ones, with more or less contrast between the center and the tips. The asterisk is aligned at the top of the glyphs to be legible in a text.