Believe it or not, the iconic smiley face didn’t just evolve naturally. The worldwide symbol for happiness, with its perfect circle, two oval eyes, and a large upturned mouth was created by graphic designer Harvey Ball in 1963. Ball was commissioned by State Mutual Life Assurance Company to create an image to boost staff morale, as My Modern Met detailed:
Apparently, Ball spent just 10 minutes drawing up a deconstructed smiling face on yellow paper—a surface he chose simply “because it was sunshiny and bright.” Ball was paid a whopping $45 for his now world-renowned visual.
At first, the insurance company printed Ball’s design on buttons and posters to give out to its employees, hoping to cheer them up. It’s unknown whether the “happy” memorabilia did the trick; however, the image quickly gained popularity. Yellow smiley faces started popping up on everything, from greeting cards and stickers to T-shirts and key rings. And although it is widely accepted that Ball invented the smiley, neither he nor the insurance company trademarked the now-iconic design.
Image via My Modern Met
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I feel bad for him :(But at least he created something everyone uses. That's gotta be worth something.
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The French side of that story :https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smiley_Company?wprov=sfla1
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Harry Dean Stanton was a commercial artist?
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I think the best comment for this is :)
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