Smiley face on bright orange background

The classic yellow smiley face 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 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.

Black text and a smiley face on pink fabric

The classic yellow smiley face 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 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.

The secretary is often seen as the recordkeeper in low level administrations. This appears to be a campaign button for a club or school secretary role.

Blue text on a white background

This is a representation of a common math equation where addition is used. 2+2=4 is also used as a phrase to express that absolute truth exists.

White text on a blue background

“That’s not in my job description” is a common phrase used in the workplace when someone is asked to do something that is outside of their expertise or not part of their job responsibilities. Its use can sometimes be thought of as rude and can come across as too rigid or with anti-team mentality. It can also make one seem as though they are only willing to do the bare minimum. While it is healthy to establish boundaries, it is also important to practice good communication by explaining why it is not possible to help with a task. The reasoning for saying no depends on the situation, so it is crucial to always respond appropriately and professionally. 

Red text on a white background

Love is a strong affection for another person or thing. Love can also indicate a romantic desire.

1960s era fonts were often used in slogans which promoted peace, love, and joy rather than war. The war between the USA and Vietnam went from Nov 1, 1955 to Apr 30, 1975.

The peace, love, and joy phrase was used by Hippies, short for hipsters, a subculture which began in the 1950s beatnik coffee house scene predominately in San Francisco. Hippies continue to exist today with new generations of liberal minded activists who believe in peace, love, and joy.

Yellow text and a yellow illustration of hair on a black background

"Only her hairstylist knows for sure" was a phrase associated with Clairol hair color products, suggesting that the color looked so natural that only the hairstylist who added it could say if was real. This button plays off of that phrase, suggesting that the wearer themselves is the hairdresser from that famous quote. 

White text on a blue background

During the 1980s, pressure for the United States to reach an agreement with Soviet Russia to halt all testing and development of nuclear weapons and to "freeze" the arms race gave way to a large movement of protests and demonstrations. The grassroots organizing was influential and played a major role in nuclear disarmament and the prevention of nuclear war. The movement began in 1980 when Dr. Randall Forsberg published the "Call to Halt the Nuclear Arms Race", which was quickly endorsed by most major peace organizations. Within a few years, the Nuclear Freeze became the center of the Democratic platform and the Freeze resolution passed the house of Representatives with unanimous Democratic support in 1982. The Freeze campaign eventually influenced Reagan to reverse his stance, which had previously been staunchly against regulation of nuclear testing. He later signed the INF Treaty with Mikhail Gorbachev which began unilateral disarmament of nuclear weapons.

Yellow background with black text. Images of a champagne glass and coffee cup with smiley faces appear underneath the text.

The trend of combining coffee and liqueur in after dinner drinks became popular in the mid-20th century. The two brands of coffee infused liqueur that emerged around this time were Kahlua and Tia Maria, both of which contained an infusion of rum, coffee, and vanilla.

Kahlua began production in Mexico in 1936 and was brought into the United States in 1940. Similarly, Tia Maria, a Jamaican coffee liqueur, was commercialized in the 1950s. Both of these liqueurs lend themselves to popular after dinner drinks such as the Black Russian, White Russian, the Mudslide, and certain variations of traditional Irish Coffee.

Yellow background with a combination of blue and red text block text.

Walter Mondale and Gary Hart were the two front runners for the Democratic nomination in the 1984 United States Presidential election. In a 1984 debate, their rivalry was brought to focus during a televised Democratic debate during which Mondale spent a great deal of time mocking Hart, while Hart remained on the defensive. After the debate, polls showed the two nearly neck and neck in the primaries, with Mondale only one percentage point ahead. Shortly after, Mondale won the Democratic nomination for he 1984 election.

Black text on an orange background

Paul Bagwell ran for Governor of Michigan in 1958 and 1960, losing both times. Born and raised in East Lansing, Bagwell was a professor of communication skills at Michigan State. Bagwell ran on what he called a platform of Responsible Republicanism. He despised partisanship and fought for extending unemployment benefits, increased taxes to support education, implementing income tax to help balance the state budget, expanding civil rights protections, and reforming the juvenile justice system. During his second campaign he promised that if elected, he would not seek a second term unless he was successful in creating 100,000 new factory jobs in his first two years.