Word balloons are so common — so freely accepted as a part of a cartoonist’s visual syntax — that many of us haven’t given the subject a whole lot of thought. Looking back at my own work, I know I didn’t for the first several years. Choosing last Friday’s Archive Dive made me remember a post I’ve been wanting to do for a long time: Word Ballon Aesthetic. If you haven’t read the Archive Dive, take a second and look it over. It provides some good structure for today’s discussion.

And, as is the case with any discussion of aesthetics, these are not meant to be taken as written-in-stone dictates. But the philosophy behind the aesthetics should help inform your own process in developing your own personal style.

It’s time to look at word balloons again for the first time.

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