You Can Create Your Own “official” Emoji
Have you ever been in the middle of composing a text message and scrolled through a selection of emoji only to find that the one you need to express your emotion or situation doesn’t seem to exist? If so — or if you just have a great idea for a new emoji — here’s your chance: the Unicode Consortium , the non-profit organization responsible for indexing emoji, is currently open for submissions.
Here’s how to submit your own design or idea and what the application entails.
How to prepare to send emoticons
Many emoji already exist, even if they don’t automatically appear on your phone. So before you create extra work for yourself and the Unicode Consortium staff, you should do some homework.
First, check if your emoji idea has already been approved . If not, check if someone has already submitted the same idea and it is currently under review .
This particular page is especially helpful when drafting a proposal as it also tells you which projects have been approved and which have been rejected, giving you an idea of what the group is looking for and what is not. In the same vein, check out the selection factors for exclusion as well as the criteria for consideration .
Also, take the time to review the priorities , recommendations , strategies , reports , and audits of the Emoji Subcommittee. Finally, ask yourself if the emoji you suggested can be used often, and why.
This video featuring Unicode Consortium Subcommittee Chair Jennifer Daniel may also help answer some of your questions:
How to submit your idea for a new emoji
The Unicode Consortium provides very detailed application instructions , including how to complete and submit the application. Do not skip any field in the form: incomplete offers will not be processed and will be returned.
The deadline for applications is 31 July 2022.