Who designed the syndicated 'heart on satin' opening's heart motif?

Verdun Philip Cook designed the heart motif for the syndicated “heart on satin” opening of I Love Lucy.

The familiar opening was not used when the sitcom originally aired. Early broadcasts opened with animated matchstick figures of Lucy and Ricky tied to the episode’s sponsor, including Philip Morris, Cheer, Sanka, and Ford. When the series entered daytime rebroadcasts and syndication, those sponsor-specific sequences were no longer suitable.

A replacement opening therefore used the now-famous heart on satin image, with credits superimposed over it. According to optical-effects specialist Howard Anderson Jr., Anderson’s studio handled the post-production title cards, while Cook created the original heart design and typography. Cook was a typographer and animator who had collaborated with Desilu Productions during the show’s original run.

A common mix-up is crediting Anderson Jr. with designing the motif itself. His contribution concerned the optical-effects and post-production work; the underlying heart artwork and lettering are credited to Cook. The opening became more familiar to many viewers than the original sponsor animations.