happy or Sad?

In this age of Botox injections, hair dyes, and breast implants, it is clear that beauty is sought almost above all else. The human face is capable of displaying many expressions, but spending too much time with any one of them will cause wrinkling. This in turn causes concern over the new wrinkle, causing the permanent frown and yet another wrinkle. These problems can be alleviated through several means, but by far the most direct is to eliminate expressions from the face altogether. While this may not be possible for some people, the stoic mask that others hold throughout their workdays can only be broken in conversation. Such conversations, in an office environment, all too often happen across a desk. When thus speaking, whether as the boss or as the employee, the feelings on one side will often not be felt by the person on the other side. Clearly, when the boss is happy, the employee is not, and the opposite is also true.

More than eighty percent of Americans drink coffee ("Coffee facts," ). Coffee is accepted in many workplaces. This simple drink causes the office mug population in some places to reach a staggering one per employee, leading to the acceptance of coffee mugs as part of a normal desk. Likewise, it is often acceptable, during conversations, for one or both participants to be actively drinking coffee. When in a one sided conversation, such as speaking with the boss, there may be only one person drinking. This is acceptable for the boss, but not the employee. The difference in feelings is also accepted in such conversations, with each party feeling the opposite of the other. In such cases as inter-cubicle banter, it is acceptable for both persons to drink coffee. Thus clearly when in a one sided conversation, there is one mug, and in a two sided conversation there are two mugs.

The elimination of emotional expression from the face serves several important roles. It reduces the development of unsightly wrinkles. It allows people to hide their true feelings, only displaying those feelings that are appropriate for the situation. It lets the more imaginative of the office picture themselves as masked ninjas living a life of lies. The elimination of emotion from the face would lead to a greater control of emotions in general, preventing such accidents as laughing coffee through the nose and shouting about the boss.

The personal interactions present in an office environment must stay professional. Personal feelings have an important place in the office, but must not be too intrusive. The cure for this is to remove feelings from the face, and place them in a more remote and better controlled location. The obvious answer here is the coffee mug. When a person is drinking coffee, his mug will usually be positioned with the hand perpendicular to his line of sight. This places one side of the mug in view of the drinker, and one side in view of whomever he is conversing with. The placement of an emotive image on the side of the mug facing away from the drinker would allow him to convey emotion to the other party of the conversation.

The two sided coffee mug, with a smile on one side and a frown on the other, allows the coffee drinker to display to others his emotional state, whether happy or sad. The placement of the graphics is in such a manner that the smile is displayed if drinking with the right hand, but the frown is displayed in drinking with the left. This affects the overall presentation of emotion, as stereotypically the left hand is considered bad, while the right is considered good. This also allows bosses to write the word “denied” while showing a frown, and gives them a happy face to look at rather than the demoralized person across the desk.

The two sided mug is applicable to group conversations, where it is appropriate to display interest regardless of personal feelings, as it shows a frown to the coffee drinker but a smile to the group. In other cases, when it is actually appropriate, is shows a frown to the group while letting the drinker reflect on how happy he feels because of it. During two sided conversations, it allows both parties to display their happiness or displeasure, at the same time, as they will be focused on each other rather than on what they are drinking. Overall, the two sided mug allows people to display the appropriate side at the appropriate time, without having to resort to such mundane activities as smiling or frowning.

The two sided mug makes use of two universal icons, the smiling face and the frowning face. These represent here the same feelings as they always have, happiness and sadness. The use of these icons, as opposed to others which express similar feelings, gives the mug universal appeal. There are no words to be translated, merely the happy face and sad face. These are recognized by people everywhere, allowing the mug to be used around the globe.
Though many myths exist, none truly require the two sided mug. It could be said that is represents opposites, such as good and evil. It could be said that it is a part of the American dream, or has romantic potential. Any of the stories could include the two sided mug, but it is not a main feature. Part of the American dream is improving status and quality of life. The two sided mug, while it does not actually do this, can lead to a more pleasant life. This also leads to a feeling of greater success, even though no status change has been made.

Beliefs form an important part of our culture. The belief in self betterment has fueled the hopes and dreams of Americans since the beginning of America. The belief in the possibility of change enables those who believe to make the change. Without the belief in better possibilities, situations would never improve. The two sided mug reminds people who see it of the constant ability to change. People are reminded by it that they can change their outlook on life as easily as they can reverse a mug. This change in outlook affects everything around them, just as changing between a smile and a frown.

A certain degree of stereotyping is inevitable in today's society. Design of the two sided mug takes this into consideration. The stereotypical office worker has a desk, a cubicle, and a coffee mug. He also has a boss that he does not like, leading to one sided conversations. The stereotypical boss has an enormous ego, talks down to his employees, and wants more power. The knowledge of these stereotypes aids in the design of a coffee mug that appeals to them. The employees desire a mug that they find amusing, and a conversation piece. The employers, wanting to see themselves as powerful, want things such as this to feed their egos.

Drinking coffee is an important part of the daily ritual of many Americans. This causes a surplus of coffee mugs in the workplace, leading to a normal coffee mug being expected. This in turn causes people, out of frustration for feeling the same, to desire different coffee mugs. This desire for difference is an essential element in the sales of the two sided mug. This causes the people to become the same yet again, as they all purchase the two sided mug in order to be different. The major change then is the ability of the people to display happiness or sadness with the same mug, giving the workplace the ability to have variety, even with the same mug. The ritual of coffee drinking, with the two sided mug, can be expanded to fill even more time in the office.

The two sided coffee mug inspires heroes to greatness by reminding them of multifaceted nature of humanity. The smile on one side, and the frown on the other, remind them to always wear their best faces, in order to maintain good public opinion. They are invigorated by the beverage it contains, as well as amused by it's duality. There are no heroes specific to this coffee mug, but every hero should have one.

Celebrity use of this mug is an essential marketing tool. In order to achieve instant popularity, it is imperative that Donald Trump be holding this mug on the show The Apprentice when he says, “You're fired.” The show has had over 10 million viewers (Martin, 2008). These people can be expected to tell their friends about the two sided mug. The desire to own the mug will be inflamed in all office workers. This will especially affect those in middle and lower management, as it will inflate their egos. The overall result of having one celebrity use a product is small, unless circumstances are carefully chosen. Donald Trump is the right person for the job in this case, for several reasons. He is seen as rich, powerful, and a shrewd businessman. These attributes are desired by people in a business setting, especially management. They are the ultimate target of this product, and as such set the criteria for marketing.

A careful consideration of the market available, combined with the knowledge of products possible, allows for the fine tuning of innovation. The two sided coffee mug fills a niche market, but in doing so draws attention. The attention drawn creates a larger market, thereby causing a cyclic effect resulting in mass acceptance of the two sided mug. The phenomenon is relatively simple, once it is understood that awareness of the existence of the product triggers contemplation of it's possible roles, which in turn creates desire for the product. The desire for the product causes greater sales volume, leading to increased awareness of the product. Thus the sales of the mug should increase exponentially after the initial sales begin. The maximum possible sales of the product can be postulated as equal to the number of people who will find a use for it, which cannot be ascertained.

The study of popular people, items, and trends becomes highly useful in a business environment. Popular people have a great influence of the general population. The ability to influence them, or the prediction of their choices, allows businessmen to make sound economic decisions in a timely manner. The study of what becomes popular, and what does not, allows businessmen to develop products for future marketing. These products must be made not only in keeping with current trends, but also with an understanding of future trends. The time required to design, build, market, and sell a product must be considered. This allows forecasting of the appropriate trends based on time. If the time estimations are not accurate, then the product will not be as successful. Trends come and go, and products must be timed correctly in order to achieve success. The time is right for the two sided coffee mug. There will be enough time to fully implement production and marketing, without excessive lag between bringing it to market it reaching the height of its popularity.

The two sided coffee mug is an excellent tool, a conversation piece, and still simply a mug. These attributes make it useful for many people. The ability to display pleasure or displeasure, simply by showing one side or the other, makes this mug unique. Upon realizing that there are no substitutes, office workers will see this as the only acceptable mug to have. This in turn will make it a facet of daily life, leading to even more situations being created in which it is not only appropriate, but necessary. The two sided coffee mug is, therefore, the only possible answer to the difficult problem of finding a coffee mug suitable for every situation, in every place.