The peace symbol was designed in 1958 by Gerald Holtom, a professional designer and artist and a graduate of the Royal College of Arts. It was created to be the logo of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND).Holtom wrote to Hugh Brock, editor of Peace News, explaining the genesis of his idea in a personal depth:
I was in despair. Deep despair. I drew myself: the representative of an individual in despair, with hands palm outstretched outwards and downwards in the manner of Goya’s peasant before the firing squad. I formalised the drawing into a line and put a circle round it.
Although specifically designed for the anti-nuclear movement, the symbol has deliberately never been copyrighted. No one has to pay or to seek permission before they use it. A symbol of freedom, it is free for all.