The CND logo's 50th anniversary has raised the question of whether or not anyone can come up with such an instantly recognisable and long-lasting design today? Or have we been logo-ed out? The striking CND design was created by Gerald Holtom (1912-85), a British graphic designer trained at the Royal College of Art. Holtom said the circle represented the world, while traditional flag signals for "N" representing "nuclear" and "D" ("disarmament") when joined together created the line down through the circle and the two arms pointing downwards on either side of it.
I have read some website comments claiming that this same logo was, in fact, used on Nazi uniforms and gravestones. While this would have alarmed Holtom, a conscientious objector during the second world war, I'm not sure if the claim is right. I think that what commentators are referring to is the Trident Sunwheel insignia, used by the SS "Nordwest" Infantry Regiment - a Dutch, Danish and Flemish affair - which is a curving three-armed, or legged, swastika, the points of which look as if they join up and form a CND-style logo when seen from a distance, or in poorly reproduced photos. I might be wrong, so let me, and the CND, know, please.
Logos making use of circles in one form or another do seem to be among the most eye-catching and memorable; and most date from a period stretching from shortly before the first world war to the end of the second world war. Three, at least, just happen to come from Germany. These are the VW logo, designed by Franz Reimspiess, a VW engineer
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