Discover our new collaboration with the Cycladic Museum ! A unique UC Apparel hoodie, inspired from the classic smiley face and matched with the cycladic shop logo. Designed by Olga Miliaresi Foka it is now available exclusively at the Cycladic Museum Shop !

One of the most identifiable symbols of Happiness worldwide is the smiley face. The
classic smiley face or happy face, designed by graphic designer Harvey Ball in 1963,
is comprised of a yellow circle denoting a humanoid head, with two black dots that
signify the eyes and a curved black line that signifies a smiling mouth. . Ball was
assigned by an insurance company in Worcester, Massachusetts to design an image
that would boost the spirits of the employees of the company. Over the years, its
meaning has altered in respect to social and cultural ideals. Starting out from a
cheerful message of a 1960’s insurance company, it has become a commercialized
sign, as well as a fashion statement. It is a hidden symbol of rave culture carved on
ecstasy pills, though at the same time takes the form of a wordless expression of
emotions in contemporary text messaging.

The design of the Cycladic Smiley Face (Cycladic Happy Face) follows the simple
form of the classic smiley face with the eyes and smiling mouth replaced with elements
from the Cycladic logo. The left eye is smaller than the right one, following Ball’s
classic original version of the smiley face. This new symbol proposes a Cycladic
symbol of Cycladic Happiness and Cycladic ecstasy through one of the most
recognizable symbols of Happiness in popular culture today. The text Have A Cycladic
Day follows the font and shape of the common Have A Nice Day supermarket and
deli plastic bags that are popular in the States and especially in New York City.