The Sm;)e Book, A Celebratory Look at How the Iconic Smiley Face Has Impacted Global Popular Culture

Author and artist DB Burkeman and designer Rich Browd have created The Sm;)e Book, a wonderful celebratory history of the iconic “smiley face” in all its interpretations, iterations, and designs by artists from all different genres. The book also looks at how the symbol became so universal and how it came to impact popular culture all over the world.

In the history of Western graphic design, no other symbol has ever held such a duality: used simultaneously as a mainstream happiness driver on grocery bags & children’s doctor’s office stickers and as a coded signifier of counterculture lifestyles on rave flyers & underground tee’s. The smiley has been used for generations by corporate marketers, suburban families, hippies, punks, and acid house ravers alike.

Burkeman and Browd are raising funds through Kickstarter in order to bring this grinning book to market.

We also aim to fulfill our campaign at the start of the new year. We believe that we’ve allotted ourselves the time and resources to ensure this project is as successful as possible, but it is your support that will truly put us over the finish line ;)

submitted via Laughing Squid Tips