Usage examples Index (typography)

1865 wanted poster of john wilkes booth using index-fist character.

the typical use of pointing hand bullet-like symbol direct reader’s attention important text, having same meaning word attention or note . used way both annotators , printers. in first few centuries of use, can seen used draw attention specific text, such title (in cases in form of row of manicules), inserted text, noteworthy passage, or sententiae. in cases, flower marks , asterisks used similar purposes. less commonly, in earlier centuries pointing hand acted section divider pilcrow paragraph divider; or more paragraph divider itself.

some encyclopedias use in articles cross-reference, in ☞ other articles. sees use in magazines , comic books indicate reader story on right-hand page continues onto next.

in linguistics, symbol used in optimality theory tableaux identify winner in candidate set.

american science fiction writer kurt vonnegut used symbol form of margin on first line of every paragraph in novel breakfast of champions. literary effect of create separation between each paragraph, reinforcing stream of consciousness style of text.

thomas pynchon parodies punctuation mark in novel gravity s rainbow depicting middle finger, rather index finger, pointing @ line of text.