Harvey Ball- creator of The Smiley Face
It’s 1963 and the Mutual Life Insurance Company in Worcester, Massachusetts is experiencing bad morale. An executive at the company asks their staff graphic designer, Harvey Ball, to work on something that will bring a little happiness and cheer into this miserable workplace. In under 10 minutes, Harvey creates what would become the most recognizable symbol of the decade – The Smiley Face.
The symbol caught on with the company, and eventually requests came in from outside. By 1972 over 50 million smiley face buttons had been sold and a countless number of T-shirts, patches, bumper stickers, etc. Yet, Harvey had only received $45 as commission from the Mutual Life Insurance Company; it would eventually be trademarked, but not by him. Yet, Harvey has stated that he has no regrets, and is just happy to have “made the whole world smile.
It’s 1963 and the Mutual Life Insurance Company in Worcester, Massachusetts is experiencing bad morale. An executive at the company asks their staff graphic designer, Harvey Ball, to work on something that will bring a little happiness and cheer into this miserable workplace. In under 10 minutes, Harvey creates what would become the most recognizable symbol of the decade – The Smiley Face.
The symbol caught on with the company, and eventually requests came in from outside. By 1972 over 50 million smiley face buttons had been sold and a countless number of T-shirts, patches, bumper stickers, etc. Yet, Harvey had only received $45 as commission from the Mutual Life Insurance Company; it would eventually be trademarked, but not by him. Yet, Harvey has stated that he has no regrets, and is just happy to have “made the whole world smile.
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