Henry Dreyfuss and Leo Burnett—major influences in 20th-century design—assessed the creative, practical, and financial implications of the project.

In soliciting information about symbols from people and organizations around the globe, Henry Dreyfuss sent out two articles that expressed his vision for symbols' potential to transcend written or spoken language.

While researching for the Symbol Sourcebook, Henry Dreyfuss was reminded of an important set of symbols from earlier in the 20th century.

Henry Dreyfuss worked to get the Symbol Sourcebook promoted on the pages of the magazine to an unexpected result.

Paul Clifton, project manager of the Symbol Sourcebook, compiled a chronology documenting key moments in the development of the project.

The 1940s after World War II (1939-1945) marked a phase of industrial design that centered on the consumer. Coined by prolific industrial designer Henry Dreyfuss (1904-1972) as the “Decisive decade”, manufacturers began acquiring prestige by redesigning products that met the needs of a changing society.[1] Populations had grown extensively from incoming immigrants; housing for returning...

In his famous book, On The Road (1957), Jack Kerouac relays a cross-country adventure he undertook in 1949:  “…. eyes bent on Frisco and the coast, we came into El Paso as it got dark, broke. We absolutely had to get some money for gas or we’d never make it. We tried everything. We buzzed the...