From ⌘ to @: where familiar symbols come from

by Kerry Ning
Kerry Ning
Typography nerd who spots bad kerning from across the room. Covers font pairing, typeface design, lettering, and web typography. Believes Comic Sans has feelings - just keeps them at a safe distance.
Eugene aka Logotyper
Founded DesignBlog because he couldn't stop bookmarking design stuff anyway. Runs the site, writes when inspired, fixes what breaks. Equal parts design nerd and terminal enthusiast. Probably reading about AI tools right now.
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Eugene aka Logotyper
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May 5, 2026
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1 min read

Icons8 maps how everyday symbols took shape, from scribal shortcuts to lab signage and runes. Think Mac's ⌘ from a Nordic place-of-interest mark, Option from a telegraph SPDT switch, plus the USB trident, the Bluetooth bind rune, and the euro's double stroke.

Command key symbol came from a Nordic place-of-interest sign, chosen by Susan Kare.
Option key symbol echoes an SPDT switch from telegraph diagrams.
Percent sign evolved from per cento shorthand into a slash with two zeros.
Radiation trefoil originated in 1946 Berkeley; colours shifted to yellow with black blades.
Bluetooth logo merges runes for Harald Bluetooth's initials to signal connection.

Read the original article on Icons8 blog:

Kerry Ning

Typography nerd who spots bad kerning from across the room. Covers font pairing, typeface design, lettering, and web typography. Believes Comic Sans has feelings - just keeps them at a safe distance.