What's the meaning of a "Y" inside of a circle?

Audience members at the Graphic! theme kickoff event in March 2018 explored their visual literacy with an interactive poll about the meaning of the "Y" symbol. Around 60% of the kickoff audience answered the question correctly; can you? If you think it's the symbol of Chicago, you're correct! This "Y" inside of a circle is Chicago's municipal device.

And now a bit of history: in anticipation of the World’s Columbian Exposition, The Chicago Tribune ran a design contest in 1892 for an image typical of the city. Danish-born architect and civil engineer Alfred J. Roewad designed the winning emblem to represent the branches of the Chicago River.

So what does the letter 'Y' have to do with Chicago's municipal code? In 1917, the City Council unanimously voted to adopt the symbol as the municipal device: businesses, city departments, and citizens were to use the image to symbolize the city of Chicago and promote civic pride. The flag may be more ubiquitous around the city, but this symbol of Chicago was actually designated around the same time.

Our friend Andrew Gill at WBEZ wrote about the history of the municipal device a few years back.

After you've seen the 'Y' in a circle once, you'll start to see it everywhere.

Image credits: Liz Lawrence, Brian Boyer, Eric Allix Rogers, Josh Koonce, Kymberly Janisch, Madame Lazonga