Beef Smiley Face

Category
Additional Images
Sub Categories
Text on Button BEEF
Image Description

White lettering and smiley face on red background.

Curl Text HY ZEIGER & CO
Back Style
The Shape
The Size
Additional Information

The origins of this BEEF button are not certain, but it's likely the work of the one of the beef promotion agencies as part of their efforts to increase consumer beef consumption.

This button is a variation of the classic yellow smiley face which is comprised of a yellow circle, two black dots for eyes and a black arc ending in serifs for a mouth. It  was designed in 1963 by by commercial artist, Harvey Ross Ball. Ball was commissioned by The State Mutual Life Insurance Company to create a happy face to raise the morale of their employees. His version was created in 10 minutes. The design was printed onto more than 50 million buttons. Neither Ball nor the company copyrighted this smiley, so it was continually used by other businesses in their promotions.

The design and concept is quite simple and was definitely used before Ball’s 1963 version. However his has become the most iconic. Variations have been used for advertising campaigns and in popular culture ever since.

 
Catalog ID SM0042