A trajectory of the Morton Salt Umbrella Girl

In 1914, design history was made in the form of an illustration that graced Morton's cylindrical package. It featured an image of a mop-headed little girl rendered in yellow and blue; she carried an over-sized umbrella warding off rain in one hand and a canister of pouring salt in the other. But what made this illustration so remarkable was neither the style nor the craft; rather, this was the first time a logo was developed as a telegraphic metaphor in order to describe a product's innovative benefit. The image of the Morton Umbrella Girl was a puzzle to be figured out, and her enigmatic stance has since influenced marks such as I (Heart) NY, Fedex, and Amazon.com.

The Umbrella Girl makes her packaging debut in 1914

Rumors have long abounded about the Umbrella Girl's origin, but executives at the Morton Salt Company insist that she is simply a figment of a long-forgotten artist's imagination. She's been redrawn numerous times over her long career, but her iconic attributes remain: the skip in her step, her joyful expression, and the fact that after nearly a century of selling salt, Morton has never given the Umbrella Girl a name.

A more modern Umbrella Girl, still without a name

The history of the Morton brand will be featured in the book Brand Bible, The Complete Guide to Building, Designing and Sustaining Brands coming out in 2012. Stay tuned.