Design Observer has written a fascinating essay on the Winkel, otherwise knwon as the Nazi triangle, with some excellent notes on the history of its design:
No documentation has surfaced that proves Hitler had any direct input in developing the inverted triangle (known as the “Winkel”) made of variously colored fabrics to distinguish homosexuals from habitual criminals from political enemies from Jehovah’s Witnesses from Gypsies from, of course, Jews. But this color and symbol code (concentric circles distinguished failed escapees and were worn on prisoners' sleeves like boy scout merit badges) was initiated shortly after the Nazis opened the infamous Dachau in 1933, in a former munitions factory in Upper Bavaria. Although the camp was originally designed for the “protective custody” of political offenders, it soon swelled up with the regime’s undesirables, most of who had to be segregated and then earmarked for “special treatment.” It is probable that camp commandant Theodor Eicke was responsible for — or even the designer of — the classification scheme which, like the camp layout itself, became the model for all other camps in occupied Europe.
How can something as simple as a brightly colored triangle be so dehumanizing and monstrous? It's absurd. Yet I often find myself thinking how amazing it is the way designs that are colorful and cheerful can be corrupted by the meaning associated with them. In such a world, Disneyland could be a Dachau.
The Nazi Triangle [Design Observer]
