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All this controversy led to internet sleuthing and caught the attention of a few investigative journalists. Unfortunately, since the design changed hands from Sweetheart Cup Company to Solo Cup Company and then again to Dart Container Corporation in 2012, the history is murky. Dart Container Corporation explained that most historical information has been lost, but their best assumption is that Gina is the original creator. But while everyone has their own taste in TV shows, clothes, and websites, most people aren’t picky about the disposable cups they use. Thanks to the wide distribution of the cup, this simple design became a shared experience for anyone who grew up in the 90s. Ekiss, who's now a custom frame shop manager at a Hobby Lobby, was met with Internet acclaim as the discovery spread across social media outlets.
The World Now Knows Who Created This Iconic '90s Solo Cup Pattern - Entrepreneur
The World Now Knows Who Created This Iconic '90s Solo Cup Pattern.
Posted: Mon, 22 Jun 2015 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Paper Cups
Imagine a plastic cup and one particular red-wrapped variant will likely come to mind, designed in the 1970s by Robert Leo Hulseman, son of the Solo Cup Company’s founder. In the realm of paper cups, there is a parallel icon — the dynamic “Jazz” pattern is also a classic, but its history and the artist behind it were largely a mystery until recently. Gina Ekiss, a designer at Sweetheart, entered a design featuring vibrant teal and purple colors, a choice inspired by her tastes and the goal of creating something harmonious.
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The Jazz design emerged from a corporate contest, capturing the essence of an era and becoming a cherished relic. Its story combines design simplicity, accidental fame, and a touch of internet-era controversy. This illustrates how everyday objects can evolve into symbols of collective memory. Looking back, it’s clear that the Jazz Cup is more than just its creator or the specifics of its creation.
How the Internet Tracked Down the Designer of the Beloved Jazz Paper Cup
The Jazz design was created in 1991 by an artist in the Springfield, Missouri Art Department at Sweetheart. Sweetheart had an internal contest to come up with a new stock design and Gina’s Jazz Design was selected. Full blown production across multiple products did not start until early 1992. There were no big bonuses or royalties or celebrations — Ekiss was simply a staff designer who continued to work for a salary at Sweetheart until the early 2000s.
Artists and graphic designers also reference or remix the Jazz aesthetics in their work. This highlights its enduring relevance in contemporary visual culture. The Jazz design’s appeal extended beyond its visual presence; it became a cultural touchstone for a generation.
This appeal spans older generations and new audiences who appreciate the retro look. Both Stephanie and Gina claim that they created the design for an internal contest at their respective companies. However, Stephanie is adamant that her design came first and speculates that it was stolen, brought to Sweetheart Cup Company, and traced or adapted by Gina. The shimmery gold scalloping that lines the top of these otherwise unadorned kraft paper cups look like streamers strung from the ceiling at a party we’d like to attend. The grey background makes the different colours chosen for the words stand out, and it is easy for the customer to read the words while holding the cup.
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In the middle of the cup, one can find all their standard information in case their customers want to book them for an event. The illustration of the cup shows both the van in which they are making the coffee, and their logo representing a cup of coffee in a minimalistic way. The result is the drawing of a man resembling the famous painter Dali, holding a cup of coffee. But Ekiss still doesn't know what to make of the pattern's popularity on the internet.
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From fashion to smells, there's almost nothing that can't give us flashbacks of our childhood. But one of the mostly strangely evocative trips down memory lane comes when we look at those plastic solo cups with the purple and blue designs. The company doesn't make them anymore, and wants to redesign them to be more modern should they release them again. "It just doesn't really fit out there anymore," a representative from the company that now owns the facility where the cups were made told Gounley. To this day, Ekiss keeps a few Jazz-adorned objects around and still sees them when she’s out and about. The design is anachronistic or nostalgic, depending on one’s perspective, but either way, it is persistent.
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One of the apples has a recycling label, to show that the cups should be thrown in the trash and not in nature. In total, we have made over 3000 designs, and decided to give you a snapshot of the 12 best designs we have seen. Today, '90s kids have put the design on their cars, their clothes, and even their bodies. Devoted fans have even set up a Facebook page to share their love for the design. Gabe Bergado is a Daily Dot alumnus who covered dank memes, teens, and the weirdest corners of the Internet.
Eclectic shapes, neon colors, and busy illustrations were quintessential aspects of 90s web, fashion, and graphic design. The winning design — then simply called “jazz” — used only two colors and was intentionally messy. This allowed the printers to move quickly without worrying about the crispness of the image or whether or not the crayon-like squiggles aligned. The reporter only knew the designer's first name as well as the fact that she had worked for the Sweetheart Cup Company, which was later bought by Solo Cup Company. He eventually found a tweet from a person claiming to be the creator's daughter, according to his article.
But, against all odds, the design is still around, and still selling like hot cakes around the world. Ekiss worked at the Sweetheart Cup Company in Springfield, Missouri, from 1987 to 2002, before the company was bought by Solo and moved their art department to Baltimore. In the first few years she was with the Sweetheart Cup Company, they held a contest to come up with a new design for the mass-produced cups. During an interview, Ekiss presented her original charcoal sketches.
Meet Gina Ekiss, the original artist of the masterful design who now lives a quiet life with her family in Aurora, Missouri. They were so commonplace — whether at the movie theater, dentist’s office, ice cream shop or roller rink — that they are likely part of everyone's subconscious. Thomas Gounley, a Watchdog Reporter for Missouri’s Springfield News-Leader, came across Reddit’s quest to find Gina and used his investigative skills to find the illustrious Gina. He documents his eventual discovery of Gina Ekiss, the woman, the myth, the legend, and her story behind designing Jazz. And the pattern’s famous yet mysterious designer has—after a lengthy bout of Internet sleuthing—finally been found.
Sweetheart has since been acquired by Solo, which in turn was acquired by the Dart Container Corporation, adding layers of complexity to the search for the pattern’s origins. Fans of 90s jazz appear to hold a significant interest in the nostalgia that the design evokes rather than the identity of its creator. The “Solo Jazz Pattern” not only enjoys the status of a “Confirmed Meme” (an established concept) but also features in over 500 listings on Etsy. Even after several decades since its inception, the teal and purple swirls continue to appear on various items such as stickers, clothing, and even contemporary websites.
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