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Where did the voicemail logo on our phones come from?

3 points by mp3jeep01 ↗ HN
I was reading an article on telephony, and I noticed a blown up version of the voicemail symbol from phones (you know, the one with the two circles on the end, connected by a line) - does anyone know where this logo originated from? And who may have come up with?

5 comments

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thinkalone
It's a reel to reel tape symbol - the first answering machines recorded onto tape.
DanI-S
This question made me feel old, and I'm definitely not.
thinkalone
Likewise, but the symbol is very simplified and pretty far removed from its original meaning at this point, so I can see how it would cause confusion. Plus, there have certainly been times when I've overlooked something that seems pretty obvious once someone points it out!
po
Some of the first ones also recorded onto endless tape that looped around on itself. I used to love taking those things apart.
lzw
Hilarious! To give you an idea of the feeling you're giving people, imagine the day when someone asks you why the M in the GMAIL logo looks so funny!