Stockholm university

50th year anniversary for the designer of the recycling symbol

Thanks to Gary Anderson designing the world-famous recycling symbol in 1971, the prize money enabled the American architect, planner and graphic designer to attend Stockholm University to study urban sociology and welfare economics. 50 years later, he remembers the Swedish people most of all, who he felt had an “innate, optimistic commitment to social and material progress”.

Hans Buehler, regional manager of the Container Corporation of America, and Gary Anderson.
Hans Buehler, regional manager of the Container Corporation of America, the company that sponsored the design competition, and Gary Anderson in 1971. Photo: Container Corporation of America

What and where did you study prior to your time in Stockholm?

I grew up in the Desert Southwest region of the United States, and I completed my bachelor’s degree in architecture at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. I went on to complete a master’s degree in urban design at the same School of Architecture. However, throughout my studies I took numerous courses that were outside my major. I especially was intrigued with sociology and the social sciences, and how human interaction can shape and be shaped by the environment.

What did you study at Stockholm University?

At the time, SU offered a one-year graduate programme leading to a "diplom" in social science. The program was offered through the International Graduate School (IGS), which was a division of the Institute for English Speaking Students. In 1971, the year that I was completing my master’s degree at USC, I entered a competition to design a recycling symbol. I took first place in the competition and was awarded a prize of $2,000 – an amount that could be worth about 140,000 SEK in today’s currency. There was a stipulation, however, that the funds were to be used to further my education. After doing a little research, I found the SU programme, applied to it, and was admitted. I specifically had researched programmes in countries where I had roots, and which offered a curriculum in English. The foreign language that I had studied in school was Spanish, which is directly not part of my heritage.

The courses that I took at the IGS included urban sociology and welfare economics, as well as intensive instruction in the Swedish language. My thesis – a group effort by a team of half a dozen diplom candidates – was a study of the Östermalm district of Stockholm and the social impacts that a reconfigured street network might have there. As I recall, it was selected as the best thesis in the programme for 1972.

Gary Anderson
Gary Anderson. Photo: Private

What do you remember most from your time in Sweden?

The answer to this question could constitute an entire novel! But I think most of all, I remember the Swedish people – at least those whom I met in academia. They seemed to share a sense of "we are all in this together", and I felt that they had an innate, optimistic commitment to social and material progress. Martin Luther King said that the arc of the moral universe bends toward justice, and I felt that Swedes not only understand this, but that they believe that as individuals they each have a hand in bending that arc. Even when they weren’t in complete agreement, they seemed to think that taking a step toward some sort of progress was something that they could all participate in. I also got the sense that they believed that even though not every step might be in the right direction, neither is it final. Society as a whole can step back, recalibrate, adjust direction, and get back to the trace of the arc.

It was 50 years ago that I formed these impressions. Certainly things may have changed since then. Perhaps as in other countries social discourse is no longer as civil as it once was. But I think what I experienced was something fundamental, something that’s not likely to disappear altogether.

In what way did the time at Stockholm University year affect you, personally or professionally?

My time at SU was beneficial to me professionally, and also helped me to advance my career. Because of my interest in the intersection of social and behavioural science and the built environment, the credentials that the "diplom" accorded me allowed me to apply for and accept positions that I might not have been qualified for if I had only a degree in architecture. These positions encompassed much of my work in the public sector – working for local and federal government – and in academics, positions at The Johns Hopkins University and at King Faisal University in Saudi Arabia.

What did you do after your time at the International Graduate School?

After my time at IGS (and after working in the "Kungliga Postkontoret" on Djurgården the following summer), I returned to California and worked in an architectural firm – David J Flood and Associates, whose focus was the planning and design of destination resorts. From there, I went on to hold several positions related to planning, eventually returning to school to earn a PhD from the Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering at The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Then I returned to professional consulting work, while keeping a hand in academics. My final professional position before retiring was at the Defense Health Agency, a federal agency responsible for the planning, design, and operation of hospitals worldwide.

What about the recycling symbol – did you realise your design would make such a great impact?

I had no idea that the symbol would be around for so long or that it would be used and recognised internationally. It was not used extensively for several years after it was chosen. I was teaching in Saudi Arabia for several years afterwards, and it was on my way back to the USA for summer vacation that I first realised the symbol really did have a life of its own. I stayed for a few days with a friend in Amsterdam, and one day while taking a stroll, I was confronted with the symbol reproduced at the scale of a beach ball on the side of a neighbourhood recycling bin.

What is your connection to Sweden nowadays?

I’ve always been interested in genealogy. Since retiring, I’ve been able to spend more time researching my roots. Although my ancestors came from Denmark, Germany, France and England, as well as Sweden, it’s my Swedish ancestors who are of most interest to me, but also the most challenging to trace – not least of all because of the Scandinavian patronymic system. However, I have discovered a fourth cousin in Stockholm and a fourth cousin on the West Coast of Sweden. I’ll be visiting Sweden this summer, and I’m looking forward to meeting them!

 

Contact

Alumni Relations: alumni@su.se

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