Who Invented Smiley Face | Price | Meaning | Impact on Life

The story behind the happiness symbol isn't as cheerful as you would expect

A smiley face is a facial expression or emotion in text conversations. The smiley face is used to convey emotion, much in the same way we use facial expressions when we communicate with people face-to-face.

Who invented the Smiley Face?

The original version of the familiar smiley face was first created 50 years ago in Worcester, Massachusetts by the late Harvey Ross Ball, an American graphic artist, and ad man in 1963.

The story behind the Smiley face: 

After a series of tough transitions, the company’s workers struggled to keep up a cheery workplace. So, the company hired Ross Ball within the hopes that he would design a picture to power up morale. In just 10 minutes, Ball drew an easy, smiling face on a yellow background.

And it first appeared in 1963 - there was an American children's TV program called The Funny Company, which featured a crude smiley face as a kids' club logo: it was shown on their caps, in the end, titles and therefore the final message, "Keep Smiling".

The price of his genius masterpiece?

Ross Ball was paid $45 for 10 minutes' work. However, neither he nor the company copyrighted the design, which has left its precise origins open: a Seattle designer called David Stern has also claimed authorship. But the Smiley is based on such an archetypal child's doodle that it could have begun of the ether.

How does it look like?

The image proliferated and was endlessly imitated however according to Bill Wallace, executive director of the Worcester Historical Museum, the authentic Dr. Ball-designed emoticon face might always be known by its different features: the eyes are narrow ovals, one larger than the opposite, and therefore the mouth isn't an ideal arc but “almost sort of a Mona Lisa Mouth.”

Impact of a smiley face to our life: 

The simple yellow smiley face created in 1963 has led to tens of thousands of variations and has appeared on everything from pillows and posters to perfume and Pop Art.

It has swept the digital world via emoticons, suggesting various moods from confused to secret-telling, sarcastic to psychotic.

But then there's something powerfully archetypal about a picture of a cheerful face that resembles the sun. Greater communication, joy or horror: the Smiley emoticon can cover everything. It pretends to be our servant, but it'll rule us all.

While initially intended to cheer up a little company in Massachusetts, the smiley face’s positive message now reaches across the world. Thus, it spreads happiness all over the world and also gives moral support. 

Summary

>> The original version of the familiar smiley face was first created 50 years ago in Worcester, Massachusetts by the late Harvey Ross Ball, an American graphic artist, and ad man in 1963.

>> Ross Ball was paid $45 for 10 minutes' work. However, neither he nor the company copyrighted the design.