A glass full of smiley faces.
Advertisers often seize the opportunity to promote products and services with universally recognizable icons. Famous classical artworks are often used since there are no copyright infringement issues to address. Other advertising art is purposefully made for the media and becomes so successful that it brings celebrity status to the artist. Four such icons of advertising art are the smiley face, Rembrandt's Mona Lisa, the original Uncle Sam recruitment poster and Norman Rockwell's prolific advertising art.
The Smiley Face
The smiley face is recognized all over the world as a symbol of optimism and happiness. It was created in 1963 by self-employed advertiser, Harvey Ball, of Worcester, MA. Ball had been hired by an insurance company to come up with an internal advertisement campaign to help smooth the transition after its bitter merger with another company. This very simple design was a stroke of genius on Ball's part. A person can't help but smile upon seeing this sweet little icon.
Rembrandt's Mona Lisa
Rembrandt would probably roll in his grave if he knew that his beloved Mona Lisa has been used to sell everything from cars to pens and shampoo. These companies won't be the last to attach their name and products to this icon. The Mona Lisa invokes thoughts of perfection and greatness. She is loved and recognized worldwide. Every marketer would be tempted to push products and services with her smile, if it wasn't for redundancy.
Iconic Uncle Sam
This forceful, patriotic image of Uncle Sam was created in 1916 for the WWI Army recruiting campaign. Uncle Sam wears his red bow tie and white and blue stars top hat, and points directly at the viewer. The caption below his pointed finger reads, "I Want You." The artist, James Montgomery Flagg, actually based the poster character on a man named Samuel Wilson. Wilson had supplied meat to the U.S. Army during the War of 1812 in barrels stamped "U.S." He became known as Uncle Sam.
Norman Rockwell Advertisements
Norman Rockwell is a beloved American artist who made his living by and became famous for creating advertising art. Some of the world-recognized brands he created artwork for include Coca Cola, Crest, Heinz, Jell-O and Post Cereals. His work spanned from 1914 through 1976. He also did recruitment work for the United States. His famous Rosie the Riveter poster helped mobilize women to leave their homes and help the manufacturing effort during WWII.
