Gina Ekiss (then known as Gina Boyd-Burgess) began working at Sweetheart Cup Company in 1987, after graduating from Missouri State University. She was one of approximately 32 artists working for Sweetheart's art department, based in Springfield, Missouri. During the late 1980s, Sweetheart planned to replace its disposable cup design, "Preference," which featured a gray base with a thin red line that formed two leaves. Sweetheart became disappointed with the new designs submitted by external agencies. Dennis Marsh, a manager for the company, said that the design agencies did not understand the specifics of the company's printing process, and that their designs were too complicated to use. In 1989, a company contest was announced to choose a new stock image for the disposable cups that would have wide appeal, as the company's cups were used in various locations such as hospitals and fast-food restaurants. Marsh was influential in the company's decision to hold the contest. One of the new design's limitations was that it could only have one or two colors, due to the high speed of the printing press. At the time, Sweetheart was transitioning to digital technology, and Ekiss was one of the few workers who was skilled in computer design. Ekiss submitted three or four design ideas. In 1991, Sweetheart chose Ekiss's design, which utilized her favorite colors: teal and purple. Jazz was based on an earlier image named Razzi that Ekiss had designed while she was in college. The original image was drawn on vellum using charcoal; according to Ekiss, "I think I probably just had some [charcoal] on hand at my desk and was just messing around and I liked what came out." To create Jazz, Ekiss remade her Razzi image digitally by scanning it. Ekiss later recalled that she had no idea what to call her cup design when it was chosen: "I had to come up with a name for it, so we just called it jazz." The name is a variation of her earlier Razzi image. Ekiss did not receive a bonus payment for her design, and did not receive royalties as Sweetheart took ownership of the design. Full production of the Jazz disposable cups began in early 1992, and the design was also used for disposable bowls and plates. Ekiss worked for Sweetheart until 2002, when the company relocated its art department. At the time, Jazz was the company's top-grossing stock design. Jazz is a trademarked design that is featured on disposable cups. The design was introduced in 1992, and is considered an icon of 1990s culture. Jazz has also become a meme and has gained a cult following. Fans have applied the design to various objects, including automobiles, shirts, and shoes. Cups with the Jazz design were initially manufactured by Sweetheart Cup Company, which was later purchased by Solo Cup Company in 2004. Solo continued production of the disposable cups, and the Jazz design would become known unofficially as Solo Jazz. Until 2015, the identity of Jazz's designer had remained largely unknown. The popularity of the design led to a Reddit inquiry that year as to who created it, ultimately revealing Gina Ekiss as the designer.

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