EQUISYMBOLTM ( ) is the international symbol of balance and equilibrium, which was created by Dutch-based inventor and entrepreneur, David J Shipley in 2017.
Equisymbol is similar in its structure to the "at" symbol (@), in that it bears a resemblance to a letter of the alphabet, with its tail extended to enclose it.
The @ symbol had its first recorded use in around 1345, when the Bulgarian Tsar, Ivan Alexander ordered a translation of the 12th Century Chronicles of Constantine Manasses. The translation, which was probably done by monks, included the use of a symbol akin to the @ symbol, at the beginning of the word Amen.
Bulgarian translation of Manasses Chronicle, c. 1345 (Vatican Library)
Throughout the 14th and 15th Centuries, the @ symbol saw some minor use, mainly in the Mediterranean region, in connection with the trade in goods, including wine (in Italy, the @ sign is known as the "amphora", it being a unit of weight).
Excerpt from the Taula de Ariza, a document from 1448, recording the shipment of wheat from Castile to Aragon.
However, it took a further five Centuries for the humble @ symbol to get its "big break", when Ray Tomlinson of BBN Technologies included the @ symbol as part of the structure for the e-mail protocol, elevating the @ symbol to a new position as one of the most important characters on the computer keyboard.
Although Equisymbol has not yet made it on to the standard keyboard, this is not far away. The soon to be published Equisymbol font, will include Equisymbol at the position of SHIFT + 6 on the keyboard, in the same way that the @ symbol appears at SHIFT + 2 on most keyboards. Equisymbol will also be offered to major font foundries, for future inclusion in their existing and emerging font libraries.
After that, it will be for users to decide how to make use of EQUISYMBOL (within reason), loosely themed around the topics of equilibrium and balance.
The first user of the Equisymbol is the nutritional support site, thehealthyeating.network, which has integrated the Equisymbol into its logo in rather a neat way:
