No one can imagine any electronics to be associated with water. But the USB logo has a subtle link to water. It is modeled after the trident of Poseidon, the god of the Sea and other waters. Like the trident symbolizes power, the USB portrays itself as a technological power. The central arrow represents serial data, the circle represents the voltage that USB works on (5V), and the square represents the ground voltage.
So..
Who designed the USB symbol? What's the story behind the individual or group who designed it and the design process they pursued?
Interestingly, the official USB "symbol" isn't the one everyone thinks it is, as mentioned in the question above. The certified, official version of the logo is this-
However, according to the guidelines published here- Page on usb.org, one has to use the symbol mentioned in the question as the USB icon. That too in such a manner that the logo is facing the user when the cable is horizontally plugged.
Now a lot of people here already have answered the meaning of the symbol- That it is derived from Poseidon's Trident, and the circle, triangle, square at the end represent the power of the USBs to connect a varied range of devices.
Why though, was a trident specifically chosen for representation?
As for this, I can only guess. I for one, always like to take the route of mythological names when it comes to codenaming any project of mine. I make sure to find a name that has similar underlying meanings/metaphor as what my project is or is trying to achieve. This gives a sense of identity that I can already connect with to the project, even before I have started my work on it.
What is great design, but something that is simple and self explanatory in itself?
I'm sure the icon designer for USB might have be inspired from a similar ideology, more or less. But why choose a trident, when you could have chosen any weapon?
Because no other weapon shows as much versatility as much as a Trident does. Be it a dagger, an arrow, a single or double edged sword. The closest that comes is a pitchfork, but it already has a negative connotation, thanks to its association with the Devil. So only the Trident remains. So you see, the versatility and universality is the key factor here.
All this might be true, or you can also consider an alternative story that the designer simply designed this, without much of a thought, and right now, here we are, pondering over its mysteries, wanting to know the meaning behind the USB logo.
