French illustrator Jean Jullien’s unifying symbol for peace shared worldwide

Before the names and faces of the victims of Friday’s terrorist attack in Paris emerged, there was one unifying symbol.

A simple image shared by millions across social media: the combination of a peace sign and the Eiffel Tower.

Jean Jullien, the 32-year-old French graphic designer behind the image, posted it onto his Instagram and Twitter on Friday, soon after a series of terror attacks in the French capital – since claimed by ISIS – left 129 people dead and 352 injured.

Full coverage of Paris terror attacks

“It was the most spontaneous thing. I heard the news on the radio, and I had this heartfelt reaction. I wanted to draw something that could symbolize peace and solidarity, and I wanted something with the context of Paris,” Jullien tells CNN.

‘Peace for Paris’ appears around the world

Besides social media platforms, Jullien’s illustration is being used in a public show of support – hand-drawn onto posters, shirts, and in other ways of commemorating the victims. Photos from around the world have captured people using the sign.

“The response has been overwhelming – especially since I didn’t have any control over it. But I can’t feel pride or happiness because it is such a dark time. It’s undesired exposure. A horrible moment. But, I’m just somehow glad people made use of it.”

A forensic scientist works near a Paris cafe on Saturday, November 14, following a series of coordinated attacks in Paris the night before that killed scores of people. ISIS has claimed responsibility.

Police are out in force November 14 near La Belle Equipe, one of the sites of the terror attacks.

Forensic police search for evidence inside the Comptoir Voltaire cafe after the attacks.

Shoes and a bloody shirt lie outside the Bataclan concert hall on November 14. Most of the fatalities occurred at the Bataclan in central Paris.

Security forces evacuate people on Rue Oberkampf near the Bataclan concert hall early on November 14.

Medics evacuate an injured woman on Boulevard des Filles du Calvaire near the Bataclan early on November 14.

Police, firefighters and rescue workers secure the area near the Bataclan concert hall on November 14.

A man with blood on his shirt talks on the phone on November 14. He is next to the Bataclan theater, where gunmen shot concertgoers and held hostages until police raided the building.

Police officers patrol the area around Notre Dame cathedral in Paris on November 14.

Police officers patrol Paris' Saint-German neighborhood on November 14.

Victims of the shooting at the Bataclan concert venue in central Paris are evacuated to receive medical treatment on November 14.

A woman is evacuated from the Bataclan theater early on November 14.

Forensics are working in the street of Paris after the terrorist attack on Friday, November 13. The words "horror," "massacre" and "war" peppered the front pages of the country's newspapers, conveying the shell-shocked mood.

Rescuers evacuate an injured person near the Stade de France, one of several sites of attacks November 13 in Paris. Thousands of fans were watching a soccer match between France and Germany when the attacks occurred.

A survivor of the terrorist attack in the Bataclan is assisted following terror attacks, November 13. The violence at the Bataclan, which involved a hostage-taking, resulted in the highest number of casualties of all the attacks.

Spectators invade the pitch of the Stade de France stadium after the international friendly soccer match between France and Germany in Saint-Denis.

Spectators embrace each other as they stand on the playing field of the Stade de France stadium at the end of a soccer match between France and Germany in Saint-Denis, outside Paris, on November 13.

A body, covered by a sheet, is seen on the sidewalk outside the Bataclan theater.

Rescuers evacuate an injured person on Boulevard des Filles du Calvaire, close to the Bataclan concert hall in central Paris.