Ball co-owned a public relations and advertising firm in Worcester, Mass., and in 1963 made a design for the State Mutual Life Assurance Cos. of America. It’s a design you’ve seen before: the “Smiley Face”.
The simple yellow ball with dot eyes and a smile swept the country. In 1971, more than 50 million Smiley Face buttons were sold. It led directly to the online “smiley emoticon” — 🙂 — and its many derivatives. The insurance company paid Ball $45 for his design, and he never trademarked or copyrighted it, which he did not regret. “He was not a money-driven guy,” said his son Charles. “He’d get letters from all over the world thanking him for Smiley. How do you put a price on that?” Ball died April 12 at age 79.