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A Designer of the World's Most Ubiquitous Symbols, the Movie
Rajie Cook, the Palestinian immigrant behind America's DoT symbols, spent his life as Roger and died unknown despite art critiquing Israeli occupation.
What: Filmmaker Valentina Canavesio is making a documentary about Roger Cook (1930-2021), who designed the 1974 Department of Transportation symbols with Don Shanosky. Cook's birth name was Rajie; his Christian Palestinian immigrant parents anglicized it. After visiting the West Bank later in life, he reconnected with his heritage and created assemblage art addressing Palestinian struggles. Canavesio discovered the story via Instagram in December 2023 and launched a Kickstarter to finish editing 50+ hours of footage.
Why it matters: Design history erases immigrant identities and political work, but student engagement with Cook's resistance art suggests designers increasingly value political practice over commercial legacy.
Original article
Filmmaker Valentina Canavesio is creating a documentary about Roger Cook (1930-2021), the designer behind the ubiquitous Department of Transportation symbols who remains largely unknown despite his significant contributions. The film reveals that Cook's real name was Rajie and his parents were Christian Palestinian immigrants, a heritage he reconnected with later in life, which transformed his work into social commentary about Palestinian struggles. Canavesio discovered this story through Instagram and was motivated to share this humanizing Palestinian-American immigrant story.
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