The hearts of the whole team here at Slightly Mad go out to the victims of the senseless acts of violence in Paris and Beirut this past week. Even during this horrific time, we’re reminded of how the power of imagery can help unite us all.

The “Peace for Paris” symbol by Jean Jullien, a French illustrator and graphic designer, is a simple, powerful piece that communicates the country’s desire to return to a state of peace and unity.

Only created a little more than 48 hours ago, this symbol has already become a unifying symbol worldwide for those who are eulogizing those who passed or thinking of those critically injured in the attacks. Most impressively Jullien composed the image in just a minute after hearing of the attacks. In an interview with WIRED he said, “It was a reaction. The first thing that came to me was the idea of peace, that we needed peace. I was trying to look for a symbol of Paris, and obviously the Eiffel Tower was the first thing that sprang to my mind… It was more an instinctive, human reaction than an illustrator’s reaction.”

After the events of this past week, we think its safe to say that the whole world shares Jullien’s wish for peace not just in Paris but also every location that was attacked.