Logo Girls

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She sold salt for a living. She was white, tiny, and cute, and I helped make her what she is today. 1967 was the year I worked on the redesign of the Morton Salt package. Design theorists didn't call this work packaging design—it was “point of purchase advertising,” which meant: the consumer is persuaded at the moment of purchase to buy a product because of its appearance. So the Salt Girl's looks were important. She had already been revamped several times since her birth as a logotype in 1914. My first suggestion, to 86 the little girl, was met with horror from the client and a nervous, “She's a great kidder,” from my boss, Ed, head art director. Later he said, “Do a lot of little girls. Make them all different; but not too different.” For weeks, I churned out little girls. “Mortie,” her office nickname, had long hair, short hair, straight hair, curly hair, degrees of femme-y dresses, and sockless or socked shoes—no pants, no boots. She was perpetually perky; not unlike Jane of “Oh, Dick, see Jane walk in the rain!” fame. I had nightmares where Mortie was chased by Dick and Spot through a monsoon. Very wet. When caught, she turned into a pillar of salt, her “lot” in life for spilling the goods.