481:. He spent the next seven years alternately engaged in teaching and research at KFU, where he ultimately became acting head of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning. He continued to work on his PhD at Hopkins, which was awarded in 1985 after he defended his thesis on socio-cultural aspects of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia that, in combination with the rise of the oil economy, determined patterns of urbanization there. While still at KFU, he worked with CH2M Hill to undertake a comprehensive socioeconomic survey, which was one of the first in Saudi Arabia.
61:. It has been called one of America's "most important design icons," it is one of the most recognizable graphic symbols in the world and has helped to encourage global recycling. In some countries, such as the UK, the symbol carries such implicit meaning that it requires government permission to be used. Although the symbol is the most widely known of his accomplishments, Anderson has also made important contributions in the areas of
520:
releases and initial coverage in trade publications, the design was sometimes erroneously attributed to the head of the
Container Corporation's graphics department. There may have been an attempt to have the symbol copyrighted, despite the entry rules for the original competition which would have prohibited this. Anderson stated that he did not know the impact of his design globally until he saw it on a recycling bin.
20:
28:
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two" to come up with the design. Anderson on to write that he made the logo by drawing the design in pencil then would proceed to trace back over the design with black ink. He went on to state that he came up with the idea of the recycling logo while watching paper being "fed" to a printer. Anderson would go on to pursue a career in urban planning as a result of his architecture passion.
372:
line drawing with no wording. Anderson has stated that it only took him a "day or two" to come up with the design. The arrows were planar, suggesting strips of paper, but they curved and bent back upon themselves as though captured in the midst of an industrial manufacturing process, and the three arrows taken together as a continuous band formed the topological figure known as a
360:, the CCA had established itself as a leader in corporate graphics and design. The poster advertised a competition to design a graphic symbol which would be used on recycled paper products and which could recognize a commitment to environmental sensitivity on the part of any manufacture who was engaged in recycling. The winning symbol would be given over to the
484:
Returning to
Baltimore, Anderson was employed by STV Inc (previously Lyon Associates), an engineering, architecture, and planning firm, where he held various positions over a period of eighteen years, ultimately rising to the role of vice president in charge of federal planning projects. As a result
371:
Anderson designed a symbol and submitted three variations of it to the competition. The alternatives actually represented
Anderson's stepwise refinement of a basic idea involving three arrows – from a more elaborate design utilizing different tones and the word "recycle", to a simple black and white
406:
Anderson has said that his academic experiences and the spirit of the times were primary determinates of his design; but that violence stemming from the drug-infused political radicalization of the youth movement led him to strive for a graphic approach that, while acknowledging the fluid mysticism
265:
that melded together aspects of both organic and geometric form. The curriculum at the
College included numerous electives, and the administration permitted great latitude in the courses that students took. Anderson took numerous courses outside his major, including courses in sociology, economics,
418:
Anderson admitted that he did not recognize the importance of his recycling design until he noticed it on a recycling bin while in
Amsterdam. At the time of designing the logo, he was not even a graphic designer, he was pursuing architecture. He would go on to state that it only took him "a day or
304:
Partly in reaction to these and other events, a youth movement was forming that questioned the established patterns of human interaction that gave rise to such problems. Among the early manifestations of this movement was a commitment to nonviolence and pacifism. It engendered, as well, a renewed
286:
had raged just south of USC the summer before
Anderson arrived, and he was briefly engaged with the South Central Neighborhood Design Center, an organization that had been set up to provide pro bono architectural services in distressed neighborhoods, as a means of furthering the cause of social
519:
Because he had turned his attention to pursuits not directly related to graphic design following creation of the recycling symbol, and because he lived abroad for extended periods of time, Anderson was not always recognized as the designer of the recycling symbol. Following the original press
131:, resulting in long absences from the family during Gary's early childhood and in the family's relocating several times. Possibly as a result of the stress accompanying these unsettled circumstances, Gary's mother Florence was hospitalized on several occasions suffering from
250:, who was an early advocate of environmentally-friendly design that prefigured more recent sustainable design and development, and Richard Berry, the urban planner and theorist who explored with his students the relationship between design and
446:, obtaining a diploma in social science from the Institute for English Speaking Students, a branch of the University that no longer exists. Returning from Sweden, Anderson was employed as a planner and architectural designer by
190:
500:
at Johns
Hopkins). In this capacity, he taught courses and wrote on the role of design and planning in private sector development, and he became a member of the executive committee of the
220:
aesthetic and the
Bauhaus approach to integrating art, architecture, technology, and culture. This was evident in the work of the College's faculty, which included the building scientist,
422:
Anderson has also identified more specific but diverse influences that include a variation on a popular nursery rhyme, an elementary school field trip to an industrial printing press, the
527:, which credited Anderson with the design and showed that Anderson's symbol represents a modern expression of Bauhaus principles, a view which was reinforced subsequently by Peder Anker.
523:
It was not until the 1990s that the connection between
Anderson and the symbol began to be better established, with the publication of an article by Philip B. Meggs in the trade journal
450:(formerly Victor Gruen Associates) in Los Angeles and David Jay Flood and Associates of Santa Monica, California, before moving east to accept a planning position at RTKL Associates in
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493:(SAME), a distinction which he shares with other notables such as Harold Adams, the retired CEO of RTKL. Anderson was also inducted in the Academy of Fellows of SAME.
233:
618:
Anonymous; "Instructional
Resource: Endless Ribbon, 1935 by Max Bill"; Baltimore Museum of Art Teacher & School Programs, Andre, Linda, ed; Baltimore; 2005-2006
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Anderson, Gary; "Integrated Strategic Planning: New Horizons for Infrastructure, Image, Function and Business on the Pharmaceutical Campus" (with David Jonik);
147:
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Concurrent with his work in government-related planning, Anderson held an adjunct faculty position in the Edward St John Department of Real Estate (in the
906:
Anderson, Gary; "An Historical Study of Some Regional Demographic Trends in the Eastern Province and their Bearing on Possible Planning Policy in Qatif;"
458:, Anderson found work in the Prince George's County (Maryland) Department of Community Development, and then in the Office of University Planning at the
212:, was the former acting Director of the IIT Institute of Design. Consequently, the College's architectural education, like that of IIT, was steeped in
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to lecture and advise graduate students on their theses in the Faculty for Engineering and Architecture and the Centre for Urban and Regional Studies.
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interest in the stylistic aspects of culture such as were evidenced during a previous youth movement in the late 19th and early 20th Century when the
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Anderson, Gary; Differential Urban Growth in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia; unpublished PhD dissertation; Johns Hopkins University, 1985.
486:
23:
The Universal Recycling Symbol, here rendered with a black outline and green fill. Both filled and outline versions of the symbol are in use.
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297:, which implicated big business and industry in profiting from practices that caused irreparable environmental harm. US involvement in the
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program, Anderson worked as an assistant to Crombie Taylor, preparing an exhibit of the ornamentation of the early modernist architect
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flourished in the applied and graphic arts. Another aspect of the youth subculture of the 1960s and 1970s was the recreational use of
996:
403:. Anderson received a fellowship to attend the Conference, along with a US$ 2,500 scholarship (equivalent to $ 20,000 in 2023).
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The 500 entries to the competition were judged by designers recognized as world leaders in graphics and industrial art, including
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By the 1970s, the mixing of the youth subculture with concurrent political and social upheavals seemed to give rise to a violent
490:
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356:(CCA) released a poster that was widely distributed to colleges and universities in the United States. Under the direction of
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204:
In the 1960s and 1970s, the teaching philosophy of the USC College of Architecture and Fine Arts was influenced by the
53:. His design for a symbol to embody the concept of recycling has been compared to iconic trademarks such as those for
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274:, as a fundamental concept in the study of topology, that would prove to be seminal in his subsequent contributions.
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399:. In 1970, the award was announced at the International Design Conference at Aspen (IDCA) under the auspices of the
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Anderson, Gary; "The Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia During the European Age of Discovery and Early Colonialism;"
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127:. As a result of his career in the military, he was re-stationed frequently to various locations throughout the
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430:, which at the time of the design competition had only recently become widely accessible in the United States.
477:. At about the same time, he was accepted into the PhD program in Geography and Environmental Engineering at
282:
During this time the world outside the university was in tumult which was reflected by events on campus. The
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438:
Anderson used his US$ 2,500 in prize money (equivalent to $ 20,000 in 2023) to study for a year at the
333:
182:
158:, Glen died of complications possibly attributable to exposure to atomic radiation years before at the
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In 1970, when Anderson was 23 years old and a student at the University of Southern California, the
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38:(born 1947) is an American graphic designer and architect. He is best known as the designer of the
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was implicated (although ultimately found not guilty) in the murder of a superior court judge.
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and business, and he returned to the USC engineering program to take a course in mathematical
135:, periodically leaving Gary and his two sisters in the care of various relatives in Nebraska.
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Pharmaceutical Engineering (Journal of the International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineers)
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185:, where he studied from 1966 to 1970. He relied on various scholarships — notably from the
8:
454:. During his tenure there, he became a registered architect. Laid off from RTKL during a
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The Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering, University of Petroleum and Minerals
823:"This 23-Year-Old USC Student Created One Of The Most Recognizable Logos Of All Time"
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In 1978, Anderson accepted a position in the School of Architecture and Planning at
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that appeared to morph out of the previously peaceful youth movement. In 1968, the
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232:. Other faculty who influenced Anderson's design aesthetic were the graphic artist
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has been compared to those of early pioneering modernist graphic designers such as
39:
581:; TAPPI, Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry, Norcross, Georgia;
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Anderson's father, Glen, left farming and became an electronics technician in the
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Anderson, Gary; "Organizing the Dammam Metropolitan Area Socio-Economic Survey;"
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had steadily increased since 1959, with the deployment of combat troops in 1965.
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for non-mathematicians. In this last course, Anderson would have encountered the
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In 2005. Anderson became a Fulbright Senior Specialist, and was invited by the
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The Military Engineer (Journal of the Society of American Military Engineers)
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762:"A few lines, one world: Gary Anderson and the Universal Recycling Symbol"
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Anker, Peder; "Graphic Language: Herbert Bayer's Environmental Design";
201:, in 1970, and a master of urban design degree one year later, in 1971.
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Meggs, Philip B; "The Rise and Fall of Design at a Great Corporation";
306:
170:
Anderson attended public schools and graduated from high school in the
58:
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Anderson, Gary; "From Blueprint to Bank: Take These Strategic Steps;"
668:"How A Student Designed The Recycling Logo, And Got A Measly $ 2,500"
451:
380:
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213:
197:— to fund his tuition. He earned a bachelor of architecture degree,
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In 1966, after completing one year in the engineering program at the
54:
733:
Resource Recycling: North America's Recycling and Composting Journal
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110:
106:
98:
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897:; King Faisal University; National Press, Riyadh, September, 1981.
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105:. Midwestern forebears included members of the communal, utopian
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Anonymous; "A Sign of the Times: Recycled Paperboard Symbol";
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Anderson, Gary; "Planning for Safety" (with JĂĽrgen MĂĽller);
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Mauritzen, Christine; "Gary Anderson's Sustainable Design";
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Anonymous; "A Powerful Tool for Environmental Improvement";
793:, Martin Pedersen, ed; MacMillan, New York, Virginia; 2008
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Family, and in 1970, the 26-year-old civil rights activist
42:, one of the most readily recognizable logos in the world.
27:
794:
208:(IIT) Institute of Design. The Dean of the USC College,
154:. In 1958, shortly after joining the electronics firm of
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Graphic Language: Herbert Bayer’s Environmental Design
806:
Thompson, Claudia G (1992). "The Recycling Symbol".
150:, engaged in work related to atomic research at the
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In the late 1950s, the family ultimately settled in
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978:
485:of his work there, he was awarded the national
347:
649:, www.recyclingexpert.co.uk, accessed 26.11.09
364:. The competition was also to honor the first
181:, Anderson changed majors and enrolled in the
910:; John Wiley and Sons, New York, April, 1982.
368:, which was held that same year on April 22.
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415:, reflected restraint and balance, as well.
921:Al-Faisal Architecture and Planning Journal
895:Al-Faisal Architecture and Planning Journal
848:"How the recycling symbol lost its meaning"
694:, Richard Green, ed; Chicago; October, 1970
191:Architectural Guild of Southern California
717:
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1022:USC Viterbi School of Engineering alumni
1007:Academic staff of King Faisal University
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724:Jones, Penny; Jerry Powell (May 1999).
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336:murders were committed by the youthful
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647:Rules Governing Use of Recycling Logo
568:The Story Behind the Recycling Symbol
236:, whose recommended reading included
923:; King Faisal University; May, 1983.
808:Recycled Papers: The Essential Guide
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85:, into a family with roots in rural
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504:(ULI), Baltimore District Council.
146:, where Glen had been stationed at
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45:Anderson's contribution to modern
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1017:USC School of Architecture alumni
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509:Helsinki University of Technology
287:justice. Three years previously,
179:University of Southern California
997:20th-century American architects
354:Container Corporation of America
206:Illinois Institute of Technology
195:American Institute of Architects
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726:"Gary Anderson has been found!"
627:Jones, P & Powel, P (2009)
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426:symbol, and the graphic art of
871:Kabat, Jennifer (2008-06-16).
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278:Social and cultural influences
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629:Gary Anderson has been found!
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109:as well as supporters of the
348:Recycling design competition
246:. Other readings were from
7:
760:Baines, Josh (2019-07-10).
666:Wilson, Mark (2012-07-06).
224:, and the designer of some
10:
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992:American graphic designers
846:Yoder, Kate (2024-06-12).
821:Bhasin, Kim (2012-07-09).
609:; XLVI:III, May/June, 1992
456:recession in the mid-1970s
183:USC School of Architecture
101:, and the agricultural US
958:; January–February, 2001.
945:; October–November, 1997.
257:Through the University's
969:Commercial Realty Review
879:. London. Archived from
489:for Architecture by the
479:Johns Hopkins University
228:in Southern California,
810:. Cambridge: MIT Press.
440:University of Stockholm
795:http://www.graphis.com
712:Industrial Art Methods
467:King Faisal University
460:University of Maryland
216:and in particular the
118:William Jennings Bryan
32:
24:
1012:Artists from Honolulu
549:; 12:2, Winter, 2007
547:Environmental History
498:Carey Business School
77:Anderson was born in
30:
22:
791:Graphis LogoDesign 7
502:Urban Land Institute
148:Lake Mead Naval Base
873:"It's Only Natural"
766:www.itsnicethat.com
166:Academic background
162:nuclear test site.
634:2009-09-28 at the
588:2010-02-06 at the
573:2010-12-28 at the
252:information theory
243:On Growth and Form
36:Gary Dean Anderson
33:
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16:American architect
319:psychedelic drugs
226:Case Study Houses
187:Graham Foundation
73:Family background
67:urban development
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222:Konrad Wachsmann
172:Las Vegas Valley
152:Nevada Test Site
133:bipolar disorder
107:Icarian Movement
40:recycling symbol
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199:magna cum laude
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140:North Las Vegas
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434:Further work
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374:Möbius strip
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342:Angela Davis
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160:Bikini Atoll
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1002:1947 births
515:Recognition
397:Eliot Noyes
311:Art Nouveau
299:Vietnam War
284:Watts Riots
129:Pacific Rim
114:progressive
95:Scandinavia
981:Categories
857:2024-06-17
832:2019-10-31
771:2021-03-05
739:2011-05-26
677:2021-04-20
531:References
389:James Miho
307:Jugendstil
259:work-study
193:, and the
692:CCA Today
469:(KFU) in
452:Baltimore
381:Saul Bass
366:Earth Day
214:Modernism
55:Coca-Cola
632:Archived
586:Archived
571:Archived
424:Woolmark
334:LaBianca
268:topology
240:'s book
156:EG&G
111:populist
99:Nebraska
79:Honolulu
218:Bauhaus
125:US Navy
103:Midwest
87:Germany
471:Dammam
444:Sweden
395:, and
189:, the
144:Nevada
91:France
83:Hawaii
852:Grist
735:: 1–2
729:(PDF)
607:Print
525:Print
330:Tate
309:and
65:and
59:Nike
57:and
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