ICT class gives thumbs up to new emoji submission to Unicode
LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 17, 2025) — From crying laughing to salsa dancing, emojis have become a mainstream media method to include context and emotion in direct communication.
With this in mind, University of Kentucky School of Information Science Assistant Professor Meghan Dowell challenged her Fall 2025 Multimedia and Technology class to create and submit proposals to be featured as the newest emojis through Unicode, the governing body of emojis.
“(Multimedia and Technology) is a course designed to engage students with the development of multimedia within contemporary interactive technology,” Dowell said. “To do this, students were asked to develop novel emojis that they believe are missing from the current offering from Unicode.”
There are an elaborate series of steps in order to prepare a submission for a new emoji proposal, according to Unicode’s website. The team was required to research the evidence of frequency, clarify search results, conduct an in-depth Google search, break down factors of inclusion and exclusion and develop high-quality designs.
“The emoji proposal portion of the class was an eye-opening opportunity because I had no idea the process involved in getting an emoji implemented,” Information Communication Technology (ICT) senior Skilar Brooks said. “I certainly hope that our emoji finds its way onto keyboards across the globe.”
Starting with 24 designs, the class held weekly discussions on the objectives and intentions of each design as well as their historical and cultural context. This helped the team members narrow down until they decided on the final four emoji designs — side eye, pinky promise, hydration and eye twitch. Once this was finalized, the team wrote a pitch to Unicode, highlighting the interest, alternative meanings, potential duplication and global cultural relevance. After developing and finalizing its ideas, the team brought in a graphic designer to bring their emoji creations to life.
For final revisions, the proposal teams presented to an audience of peers and faculty members, where they received rave reviews.
Junior ICT major Nicholas Wadley, one of the collaborators on this project, described the opportunity as a “truly once in a lifetime experience.” He explained that they were able to discuss various types of media to incorporate in the production of their emoji ideas, allowing each student to bring something to the table.
Submission selections from Unicode will be announced in November.
“In addition to the importance of having inclusive multimedia, I hope students learned that they have the power to change or at least contribute to interactive technologies that have global reach,” Dowell said.
Due to the success of this course, Dowell will offer a fully online asynchronous section of Multimedia and Technology in the Fall 2025 semester.
For more information on the submission process, visit Unicode’s website.
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