Peace! Huh! Yeah! What Is It Good For?
Fifty years ago, little known designer and activist Gerald Holtom revealed his logo for the newly formed Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. CND never applied for copyright on the symbol, preferring it spread freely so the anti-nuclear message could reach a larger audience. It evolved along the way to take on the wider meaning of peace.
Some might say that by forgoing copyright, the peace symbol surpassed all of its early potential. But if designers want to make the most impact, should they forge on without restrictions or consider designing for free?
Lack of restriction gives designers license to use the symbol to great effect. But all too often, the meaning becomes confused. We see it on products with values far removed from CND’s. Still, the core pacifist meaning is universally understood, and its message has never been more relevant. The nuclear debate still rages, and the Iraq War sparked some of the largest anti-war protests in history with the peace symbol very much in attendance.
The symbol communicates beyond linguistic and cultural divisions, at its best a beautifully simple expression of disgust for weapons of war and a demand for peace.
So forget your preconceptions and admit it: the world still needs peace.
Kate Ward is the designer of Happy Birthday Peace, published by Readers Digest in the United States and Anova Books in the UK. Chris Rubino is a New York City-based artist/designer whose work has been exhibited in Europe, Japan, Hong Kong and the U.S. You can see more of his work at ChrisRubino.com.
Remarks 12 total remarks were added before the post was closed.
david
Amen. I hadn't heard the story of its design. Very interesting.
Immortal
The true success of a mark is not when it communicates an idea to an audience, but when the audience fills the mark with their own meaning. Think of Apple, Nike, the Red Cross, the Happy Face, etc. The marks have inherent meaning, but their greatest significance comes from what we project into them, what we believe they stand for.
The peace symbol may be used in a wide variety of ways, but at its core it has meaning to people above and beyond the context in which it might appear.
Suzie
Give peace a chance, baby.
Great article -- I never knew the story of it's design either and quite enjoyed the little history lesson.
Keenan
This is worth looking at. A site done by some friends of mine at FWIS. (Purely a joke, by the way)
Terry 11Bravo
Wore one on my helmet
Throughout Vietnam.
People kept shooting at it,
The irony.
ruzel
Yes, but, I hate the peace sign! As ubiquitous as it may be (and as prescient and brilliant as it is that it was distrubuted copyleft) as a mark it is simply uninspired. It has undertones of religiosity--and there's hardly anything more responsible for war and death than religion. It a passive sign that has no weight, no force. More than that it seems to appear broken. I'm all for peace. I was there amonst the peace signs on 1st avenue protesting the wat in Iraq, but I feel like the time has come for a new sign in the age of globalization; where unity is more represented than peace.
Left Hand Side
Undertones? It's overtly religious.
Immortal
> Ruzel
I agree, but fortunately there is another symbol that also has great power in conveying the idea of peace, and anyone can do it anytime: http://tinyurl.com/38xmfn
John Gruyter
How does the peace sign have undertones of religiosity? How on earth is it 'overtly religious'? It's based on semaphore. In a circle.
Greg J. Smith
A very nice use of your 200 words! Great post Esther. :)
Andrew Zen
I prefer the peace sign that Asian people make with their fingers when they are posing for photographs. It's a way better symbol, especially when coupled with a cheesy smile. Peace.
Mark
The Peace symbol is also a great divider. For example, I may hope for an end to the war in Iraq but have no desire to share any affiliation with the anti-war hippies.