Oddbean new post about login | logout Did you know that the man behind the iconic Smiling Face logo, now worth millions, received only a small sum for the original design? In 1963, Harvey Ross Ball was hired by an insurance company to create an icon that would lift employee morale. In just 10 minutes, he designed a simple yellow face with a broad smile and dimples. "I made a circle with a smile like a face on yellow paper because it was sunny and bright," the Worcester graphic designer later told the Associated Press. The company used the design on signs and buttons for employees, and it was an instant success, eventually spreading beyond the office. However, neither Ball nor the insurance company registered the logo as a trademark. Years later, a French journalist named Franklin Loufrani officially registered it, calling it "Smiley" and creating a business around it, granting licenses to other companies. Today, Smiley generates hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue annually, with brands like Zara and Fendi paying to feature the iconic smile on their products. Ball, however, never shared in the enormous profits that the logo eventually generated. Credits: Dani #motivationquotes #motivational #motivationalspeaker https://image.nostr.build/725bc8e08142e000e40bc366ce665f555877b3cea58bbbf7a7db2c3201d3d632.jpg
Obvious self portrait
Didn’t know but was he happy? 😁 That would matter more to me than anything else. Truly.
