The study takes up the ongoing discussion on the material aspects of communication and the relationship between scriptural and pictorial media. It proceeds from the thesis that the typographic arrangement of script conveys meaning above and beyond the 'imaging of language'. The volume divides into three sections: section one sets out a semiotic theory of typography, section two outlines the systematics of typographic practice, and the final section discusses the development of typography as a system of expression and meaning in selected historical contexts from the book typography of the classical age (in Germany) to 20th century art and advertising typography.