One of the most popular and pervasive bumper stickers in American culture only features one word: “coexist.” Yet, it is able to make a very clear message to its audience. Personally, I’ve seen this image numerous times in different forms such as stickers, t-shirts, or other merchandise. Despite only being one word, this design is able to get an important idea across to its viewers: the importance of tolerance between and acceptance for other religions.

The original version of the Coexist logo was a much less complicated and more effective design created by Piotr Mlodozeniec (pictured below). He incorporated symbols of three different religions into the word: a crescent moon for Islam, the Star of David for Judaism, and a cross for Christianity. Mlodozeniec actually created this design for a contest held by the Museum of the Seam in Jerusalem, which had a theme of “coexistence.” His creation had a clear message that was easily recognizable to his audience, but it does require that audience to be knowledgeable about the meanings of the crescent moon, Star of David, and cross. With the understanding that each symbol represents a religion, the use of the word “coexist” ties it all together and makes Mlodozeniec’s message apparent.

Several years after Mlodozeniec made his original Coexist design, the concept became viral (it was even featured by U2 on their Vertigo Tour). There were legal battles over the trademark to the design and later, it underwent many adaptations, leading to a new version of the logo that featured many more symbols. The popular bumper sticker version of the Coexist design features a peace sign, combination male / female symbol, pentagram, and yin-yang. The updates to the design made it more crowded and busy. The original intent of the message has also changed from simply being about religious tolerance to including aspects of gender equality and the incredibly general “peace.” Now, whoever views this bumper sticker must also have knowledge about five new symbols and be able to apply them within the context of the design.

While this design does not connect to a specific issue or movement, it can be applied to many. Opponents of this bumper sticker claim that it does not accurately represent how religious tolerance can actually be achieved; it’s much more complicated than simply agreeing that everyone should get along. However, the design was created in 2000 when, as Mlodozeniec himself puts it, “the situation was not so complicated as today.”