4. Reading. Task 3.1. The History of the Smiley

 

        For a design so simple, the iconic smiley face has a surprisingly lengthy and controversial history. Historians say that the oldest known example of a smiley face dates back to 1700 BC: a nearly-4000-year-old ceramic pot excavated near Turkey’s border with Syria features faint markings resembling a smile. Other similar examples have also been discovered such as an image drawn on a Slovakian municipal document from 1635 or one drawn by a Czech monk in 1741. (1). Instead, most remember the ever-present bold yellow circle with a face drawn inside – a design that appeared in the second half of the 20th century.

        In 1963, graphic designer, Harvey Ball, was asked by an insurance company to create a symbol for ‘a friendship campaign’ so that their employees would feel good when they interacted with the public and each other. As the story goes, Ball spent just 10 minutes creating the uplifting design known today. Originally planned as a circle containing just a mouth, it received eyes to ensure that the image couldn't be turned upside down and made info a frown. (2) Ball explained that he chose this design “because it was sunshiny and bright.” He earned just $45 for his work.

        The design spread and was, of course, endlessly imitated, but the real Harvey Ball-designed smiley face could always be identified by its distinguishing features. Instead of a smooth curved line for the mouth, an almost lopsided line was used. (3)

        The insurance company produced thousands of signs and posters but did not copyright the image, which allowed brothers Bernards and Murray Spain to swoop in during early 1970s and register the design with the slogan "Have a Happy Day". In less than a year, they sold more than fifty million smiley buttons and countless other products featuring Ball's original graphic. (4)The French journalist later launched the Smiley Company, which grew into a global licencing giant.

 

 

A	The logic behind such an enduring symbol is quite simple.
B	However, when most people think of a smiley today, it is not simply dots and lines that come to mind.
C	Meanwhile in France, Franklin Loufrani, a journalist, used a smiley face in his newspaper to highligt good news.
D	Similarly, the eyes are uneven in size and placement.
E	The company the licenced the image for products worldwide as well as for use in emoticons.