The best graphic design books can be great sources of inspiration for designers, but the idea is not to directly copy from them, right? Some people are wondering whether a single publication from the 1970s could have directly influenced dozens of contemporary designs.
A classic graphic design reference book has resurfaced on social media, and it's getting attention for the familiarity of some of the symbols it depicts. Some of them look incredibly similar to identities belonging to modern-day companies, from AMD to Google.
The book is Trademarks & Symbols, Vol. 2: Symbolical Designs by the Japanese designer Yasaburo Kuwayama. While Volume 1 had focused on alphabetical and letter-form designs, the second tome centres on symbolical and pictorial designs. It's a directory of real symbols and logos organised according to their form, for example circles, squares, trees, eyes and human figures.
From a just a few pages shared on social media, people have spotted designs that resemble the logos of chip maker AMD, Google Drive, Chase Bank, Natwest, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Portugal's state bank, Renault and more.
@Frozune actually, flipping through this book now after seeing this and it's basically every logo ever. Also found Perplexity, Antigravity, Snowflake, The London Underground and the Jedi Rebellion. https://t.co/KgjnFCpuxtOctober 8, 2026
@Frozune No like actually, holy crap https://t.co/j69fy6r9K3October 8, 2026
@Frozune Ancient designs are fascinating and far richer than imagined. This might be an App Store icon from thousands of years ago. https://t.co/PZnYaXyObH https://t.co/aBseqkZHJhOctober 8, 2026
@Frozune Chase bank https://t.co/SgOevtg7FcOctober 8, 2026
@Frozune Raia Drogasil S.A. - a drugstore company in Brazil https://t.co/Dgg1VLX0fxOctober 8, 2026
@Frozune Eh pero si es el logo de cinepolis https://t.co/7DxydSlyx9October 8, 2026
Have the graphic designers behind modern big brand logos been picking and choosing old designs to recycle? Probably not. Geometric forms are relatively universal, and Yasaburo's book is so extensive that it's logical that modern brands could arrive at similar shapes on their own.
One observer has pointed out that in the book's appendix some designs are listed as being used by multiple companies. Even today, we see brands with similar logos.
When it comes to minimalist geometric symmetry, there are only so many options. Nevertheless, if you're looking for a logo design for your startup, some people reckon the book still has a few gems that could be available for the taking.
@Frozune unused gems hanging out here https://t.co/uFCZe8e4DzOctober 9, 2026
Trade Marks & Symbols was originally published in Tokyo by Kashiwa Shobo and Orion Press and internationally by Van Nostrand Reinhold Company. You might have to part with a lot of money to get a copy today. There's a hardcover copy selling on Amazon for over $2,000.
The nearest contemporary equivalent I can think of are Jens Müller's Taschen books Logo Beginnings and Logo Modernism, which I can highly recommend.
