The Symbol Sourcebook was first published as a hardcover by McGraw Hill Higher in 1972. This was the year of author Henry Dreyfuss’ death. Dreyfuss was an acclaimed industrial designer and native of Brooklyn, New York, whose firm designed a broad range of products including vacuum cleaners, telephones, fountain pens, alarm clocks, a locomotive, tractors, a wall-mounted thermostat, cameras, and other items. Many of the products became ubiquitous in 20th century America.

Symbol Sourcebook

Susan Kare used the Symbol Sourcebook for inspiration when she designed the original Macintosh icons. Kare said in an interview, “One of my favourite parts of the book is its list of hobo signals, that hobos used to contact each other when they were on the road.”

Symbol Sourcebook

Over a number of years Dreyfuss and his staff assembled a database of more than 20,000 symbols. The collection served as raw material for the 1,000 or so graphic marks categorised in the book.

Adweek asked design historian Russell Flinchum, author of the Henry Dreyfuss biography, for a comment about the book. “The origins began with a desire to label John Deere and National Supply Co. (oil drilling equipment) with standard international labels that wouldn’t have to be changed from country to country, thus saving much time and effort.” Gathering the symbols was mostly a joint project for Dreyfuss and his wife, Doris, who worked closely with Paul Clifton, the main designer on the job. “It began with a mass mailing of every organisation involved with symbols they could think of, then collating this information and boiling it down to standard appearances.”

Symbol Sourcebook

“If a system of symbols could be compiled that would be equally recognisable in Lagos and Lapland, perhaps the dream of a universal basic means of communication could be realised. I believe this is possible.”
— Henry Dreyfuss

Symbol Sourcebook

Second-hand hardcovers (1972) and new paperbacks (1984) can be picked up on Amazon (.com, .co.uk, .ca).

Semi-related from the archives, the Logobook website is an archive of the finest old and new logos.

Comments

I had a chance to check out this book in a university library several years ago. It’s a very interesting piece of reading. Thanks for sharing and reminding me about it.

I have a paperback edition I picked up in the late 1980s. I still use it on nearly every logo project. Excellent resource.

Jean Michel Basquiat it was his Code Source Book for his Artworks along with Flash and Spirit by Robert Ferris Thompson.

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