All Great things come to an end

Market Smiley T-shirt

All great things come to an end, but mediocrity lives forever. Or at least that's how I feel about the smiley face trend in fashion. The smiley face act has been going on a little too long for my taste and for the life of me I can't understand why every generation has fallen for it at one point or another. In this week's post we'll be looking at the smiley face trend and how it has only become more inescapable as owning a clothing brand has become more accessible than ever.

The smiley face trend started in the 1960's amidst the peace and positivity movements. However, it really found mainstream popularity in the 70s and 80s. It was created in 1963 by Harvey Ball. But in 1970 Murray and Bernard Spain made merchandise that read "Have A Nice Day" accompanied with the smiley face, and now the rivers are running red. Soon after there were basketballs, bumper stickers, rugs, and literally anything you can think of that has the signature smiley face on it. The smiley has been used for countless purposes. It was huge in the rave scene of the 90s, the punk scene in the 70s and 80s, as well as rebellious movements. Nirvana has a classic T-Shirt with the smiley, and back in the 90s the face was connected to ecstasy and acid. Watchmen artist Dave Givens once said that the simplicity of the smiley leaves it looking for meaning. Therefore, it's a canvas to use to create your own meaning. I can't lie, the more I do research about the smiley face the more I start to appreciate it's history. There's a symbol in our culture as humans that is recognizable around the globe. It hasn't lost its visibility since it first came out. How rare is it that multiple generations can bond over a statement piece that's been around for over half century? You might be thinking my stance has changed on the smiley face. I'm not going to lie; my stance has changed a great deal. It truly isn't for me to wear but the variety behind the smiley is so vast. I could complain about the over saturation, but it has always been over saturated. Its inescapability is thorough in every decade. And because I recognize and respect that I can't complain about it in good faith. But I can complain about how safe of a design option it is in today's fashion.

I suppose some brands like Market and Cactus Plant Flea Market are grandfathered in more or less. But not everyone can get away with using this smiley and still call it art. I'm calling "Drew" to the stand right now. Drew is the clothing brand "created" by Justin Bieber.

Justin Bieber's Drew brand

As you can see, the logo is the smiley face with the name of the brand as the smile. This logo is extraordinarily safe. The logo makes the market research that went into this super transparent. They're going to attach a well-known name to a well-known, proven, and timeless image. Pretty fucking safe if you ask me. It's not even a more creative approach that makes sense like Kanye calling himself Yeezus. Which made sense because it was directly derived from the way he saw himself (not that I agree) and the way that he was spoken about in media and amongst his fans. The path his career had taken him led him to that branding. Justin Bieber is just attaching his name to a fair use uncopyrighted image. The smiley face has little meaning and he added nothing to it. I'm going to swiftly avoid talking about the clothing itself because it's really not the point. But the careless use of this iconic image is not something I want to see executed by people who claim to be into fashion (in the realm of design). I understand, it's trusty and it brings eyes, but it's such a cliche that I can't fully respect those who create and use the smiley as a crutch. I don't care if you create your own smiley that looks like it's high or distort the smile so it looks edgy. It's all been done, and you aren't adding anything new by playing around with this image. Create your own thing or choose another image. I'm starting to get exhausted from seeing people act like they're the next Vivienne Westwood just because they slapped a smiley face on a blank Gildan shirt. In a world where small clothing companies (including my own) are popping up everywhere, we should do ourselves a favor as designers and appreciate what works but steer clear of it in our own work.