A symbol with a story

The MIT Press colophon, pictured, was acquired into the permanent collection of
The MIT Press colophon, pictured, was acquired into the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. Credits : Image: Courtesy of MIT Press
The MIT Press colophon, pictured, was acquired into the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. Credits : Image: Courtesy of MIT Press The iconic MIT Press colophon symbolizes the legacy of its creator Muriel Cooper, a graphic design pioneer and longtime member of the MIT community. Most people don't grasp every reference in the MIT Press publisher logo, or "colophon," at first glance. The symbol's vertical lines are straightforward enough, but understanding what they represent requires the mind to fill in some gaps. The lines create a lowercase m'i-t-p. They are made to look like book spines on a shelf. But they also resemble a barcode - which is remarkable considering the colophon was designed in 1963, before barcodes were widely in use.
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