An emoji with wide eyes looking at different types of emojis thoughtfully

© 2021 Emojipedia (text emojis); Sky Magazine/Shutterstock (1963); Shutterstock.com (all other images)

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How Are Emojis Made?

Here’s how emojis go from ideas to symbols that appear on our phones and computers.

As You Read, Think About: Why do people continue to create new emojis?

What do a playground slide, hands in the shape of a heart, and a troll have in common? They’re all part of the newest batch of more than 100 emojis.

What do a playground slide, hands in the shape of a heart, and a troll have in common? They’re all part of the newest batch of more than 100 emojis.

People around the globe will be able to include them in text messages and social media posts within the next few months. These emojis will join the hundreds of others that are already shared worldwide billions of times each day. But have you ever thought about where these colorful symbols come from? 

An organization called the Unicode Consortium oversees the creation of all new emojis. The group is made up mostly of technology companies like Apple and Google. Each year, Unicode reviews proposals for new emojis and decides which should be added to our devices.

“People think emojis just pop into existence, but a lot of effort is going on behind the scenes to make sure they are as useful as possible for people across the world,” says Keith Broni. He works for Emojipedia, an online encyclopedia of emojis and their meanings.

But the ideas for emojis don’t have to come from tech wizards at big companies. Anyone can submit one—including you. 

“There’s nothing stopping a 10-, 11-, or 12-year-old from putting forward a proposal,” Broni explains. “There’s no age barrier whatsoever. It’s all about how good the idea is.”

Still, new emojis must meet several criteria, or standards. The Do’s 👍 and Don’ts 👎 on the next page will help you come up with a winning design.

People around the globe will soon be able to include them in text messages and social media posts. These emojis will join the hundreds that are already shared worldwide billions of times each day. But have you ever thought about where these colorful symbols come from? 

A group called the Unicode Consortium oversees the creation of all new emojis. The group is made up mostly of technology companies like Apple and Google. Each year, Unicode reviews proposals for new emojis. It decides which ones should be added to our devices.

“People think emojis just pop into existence, but a lot of effort is going on behind the scenes to make sure they are as useful as possible for people across the world,” says Keith Broni. He works for Emojipedia. It’s an online encyclopedia of emojis and their meanings. 

But the ideas for emojis don’t have to come from big companies. Anyone can submit one—including you. 

“There’s nothing stopping a 10-, 11-, or 12-year-old from putting forward a proposal,” Broni explains. “There’s no age barrier whatsoever. It’s all about how good the idea is.” Still, new emojis must meet several criteria, or standards. The Do’s 👍 and Don’ts 👎 on the next page will help you come up with a winning design.

👍 Think globally.

Emojis are the first truly universal language. So any new symbols should be as useful and easy to understand to people in Italy and Japan as they are in the United States. 

Emojis are the first truly universal language. So any new symbols should be as useful and easy to understand to people in Italy and Japan as they are in the United States.  

👎 Avoid getting too specific. 

There’s a reason you don’t see official emojis of Abraham Lincoln, Hogwarts, or the Nike swoosh. Unicode will reject proposals for emojis of real people, fictional characters, and specific buildings—even ones from books or movies. Brands and company logos are also out. 

There’s a reason you don’t see official emojis of Abraham Lincoln, Hogwarts, or the Nike swoosh. Unicode will reject proposals for emojis of real people, fictional characters, and specific buildings—even imaginary ones. Brands and company logos are also out.

👍 Do your homework. 

There are already more than 3,600 emojis, so yours has to be distinctive, or different from others. Also, many concepts can already be represented by one or more emojis. For example, there’s no need for a handwashing emoji, because that can be represented with the emojis for water droplets, soap, and hands. 💧 🧼 👐

There are already more than 3,600 emojis. Yours has to be distinctive, or different from others. Also, many ideas can already be represented by one or more emojis. For example, there’s no need for a handwashing emoji. It can be represented with the emojis for water droplets, soap, and hands. 💧 🧼 👐

👍 Design for diversity. 

Think about people and cultures that aren’t represented by emojis. In recent years, Unicode has worked to make new symbols more inclusive. 

“People really want to see themselves reflected in the people and objects on their emoji keyboard,” Broni explains.

In 2015, emojis became available in a range of skin colors. 👦🏿 👦🏾 👦🏽 👦🏼 👦🏻 Two years later, Unicode approved an emoji showing a woman wearing a hijab, or head scarf. 🧕 The set released in 2019 included the first emojis that represent people with disabilities. 👨‍🦽

Think about people and cultures that aren’t represented by emojis. In recent years, Unicode has worked to make new symbols more inclusive.

“People really want to see themselves reflected in the people and objects on their emoji keyboard,” Broni explains.

In 2015, emojis became available in different skin colors. 👦🏿 👦🏾 👦🏽 👦🏼 👦🏻 Two years later, the group approved an emoji showing a woman wearing a hijab, or head scarf. 🧕 The set released in 2019 included the first emojis that represent people with disabilities. 👨‍🦽

👎 Don’t expect a fast reply. 

It can take up to two years to find out if a proposal has been approved—and another few months for it to actually show up on smartphones and tablets. 

“You’ve got to be patient because people are going to really think about your idea,” Broni explains. “They’re going to make sure that it’s something that loads of people will like to have on their emoji keyboards. It’s going to be there forever.” 

It can take up to two years to find out if a proposal has been approved. And it can take another few months for it to show up on smartphones and tablets.  

“You’ve got to be patient because people are going to really think about your idea,” Broni explains. “They’re going to make sure that it’s something that loads of people will like to have on their emoji keyboards. It’s going to be there forever.” 

Just for Laughs

Here’s how using symbols to show happiness has changed over the years.

1963

A company in Ohio asks artist Harvey Ball to create an image that will boost employees’ spirits. He draws a simple yellow smiling face that later appears on countless buttons and T-shirts.


1982

Scott Fahlman, a computer scientist, wants to show his co-workers that he’s joking around in messages. He types a sideways smiley face on his keyboard, using a colon, a hyphen, and a closing parenthesis.


1999

A Japanese mobile phone company releases a set of 176 emojis. Created by artist Shigetaka Kurita, the simple designs are a huge success and lead the way for emojis to become popular worldwide.


2015

Oxford Dictionaries selects Face With Tears of Joy as the word of the year—even though it’s an emoji. Oxford says the emoji best represents how people communicated that year.


2021

The Loudly Crying Face replaces Face With Tears of Joy as the most-used emoji on Twitter. Despite its name, it’s often used to show uncontrollable laughter or overwhelming joy.


Just for Laughs

Here’s how using symbols to show happiness has changed over the years.

1963


A company in Ohio asks artist Harvey Ball to create an image that will boost employees’ spirits. He draws a simple yellow smiling face that later appears on countless buttons and T-shirts.

1982


Scott Fahlman, a computer scientist, wants to show his co-workers that he’s joking around in messages. He types a sideways smiley face on his keyboard, using a colon, a hyphen, and a closing parenthesis.

1999


A Japanese mobile phone company releases a set of 176 emojis. Created by artist Shigetaka Kurita, the simple designs are a huge success and lead the way for emojis to become popular worldwide.

2015


Oxford Dictionaries selects Face With Tears of Joy as the word of the year—even though it’s an emoji. Oxford says the emoji best represents how people communicated that year.

2021


The Loudly Crying Face replaces Face With Tears of Joy as the most-used emoji on Twitter. Despite its name, it’s often used to show uncontrollable laughter or overwhelming joy.

1. What does proposal mean in the text? What context clues help you figure it out?

2. Why does the article include thumbs-up and thumbs-down emojis on page 3?

3. Based on the sidebar, “Just for Laughs,” how was the smiley face created by Scott Fahlman in 1982 different from today’s emojis?

1. What does proposal mean in the text? What context clues help you figure it out?

2. Why does the article include thumbs-up and thumbs-down emojis on page 3?

3. Based on the sidebar, “Just for Laughs,” how was the smiley face created by Scott Fahlman in 1982 different from today’s emojis?

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