In various cultures and backgrounds, many peace symbols have been used in many ways.

Early Christians symbolically used pigeons and olive branches, and eventually became secular symbols of peace, which were promoted by Pablo Picasso after World War II. In the 1950s, the now well-known "symbol of peace" was designed by Gerald Holtom, the symbol of the British nuclear disarmament movement, the most cutting-edge organization of the British peace movement, which was adopted by anti war and anti culture activists in the United States and other places. The V-shaped gesture and the peace flag have also become symbols of international peace.

Internationally recognized symbols of peace - known as nuclear disarmament symbols, CND symbols and peace symbols, respectively - were designed by Gerald Holtom for the British nuclear disarmament movement. Holtom, an artist and designer, presented it to the direct action committee on February 21, 1958, where it was "immediately accepted" as a symbol of the march from Trafalgar Square in London to the atomic weapons research agency in Aldermaston, Berkshire, on April 4. Holtom's design was changed from Eric Austen (1922 – 1999) to a ceramic lapel badge. The original design is at the Peace Museum in Bradford, England.

The symbol is a combination of semaphore signals of the letters "n" and "d", representing "nuclear disarmament". In semaphores, the letter "n" is formed by a person holding up two signs in the inverted "V", and the letter "d" is formed by pointing one sign directly above and the other sign downward. The superposition of these two signs forms the shape of the center of the peace sign.

On May 3, 1808, Goya was hailed by Gerald Holtom as one of the Inspirations of the symbol of peace - although he said the hand of the farmer was pulled down

Holtom then wrote to Hugh Brock, editor of peace news, explaining the origin of his idea:

I feel desperate. Deep despair. I drew myself: a representative of a desperate man, with his hands outstretched outward and downward in the way of a shooting team's former Goya farmer. I formalized the drawing as a line and drew a circle around it.

Holtom's correspondent Ken kolsbun said the designer regrets the symbol of despair because he believes peace is something to celebrate and wants to reverse it. It is said that Eric Austin "has found that the theme of" desperate gestures "has long been associated with" human death "and" unborn children ".

The logo became the emblem of CND, and wearing it became support for the campaign to urge unilateral nuclear disarmament in Britain. CND's early historical description described the image as "a visual adhesive that combines [Aldermaston] march with the whole movement that followed It may be the most powerful, memorable and adaptable image designed for secular reasons. ".