The Atlantic

Why the + Is Everywhere

The sign has become inescapable in the world of branding.
Source: AlenaPaulus / Getty

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The plus sign is everywhere in the world of branding. It’s cool (sort of), capacious, and wholly unoriginal. At least it’s difficult to mock.

First, here are three new stories from The Atlantic:


The Power of the Plus

The other day, while reading an article in about 23andMe’s glamorous rise and disappointing fall, I came across one line that I couldn’t stop thinking about: But maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised to learn that the CEO of a biotech company had tacked on the symbol. The humble plus sign has become a hallmark branding tool in tech, media, TV streaming, and beyond.

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