The Peace Sign was created in 1958 by British graphic designer and Christian pacifist Gerald Holtom. He was tasked with creating the banners and signs for a nuclear disarmament march in London, and he wanted a visual that would stick in the public's mind.
The Peace Sign illustrates nuclear disarmament.
The design is, in part, modelled after naval Semaphore Flags that sailors use to communicate. Holtom combined the codes for "N" (two flags angled down at 45 degrees) for "nuclear" and "D" (one flag pointed straight up and one flag pointed straight down) for "disarmament."