And to think he got the idea from a guy running back and forth across the US.
Imagine if he handed him a different color shirt. What color would the smiling face be?
Red?
Blue?
(O.o) Green??
He was hired to design the smiley face. He designed it in less than 10 minutes and was paid 45$ for it. He never owned the design because he designed it by comission. The company who obtained the smiley didn't bother to copyright it, and it gained widespread popularity. Another company modified it slightly, copyrighted the new design and made millions$
Imagine if he handed him a different color shirt. What color would the smiling face be?
Red?
Blue?
(O.o) Green??
In reality it was designed by a grafic designer who was commissioned to do so. It was intended to make people smile.
You can read a full article here for more information