๐ฌ The Wrap
2018 is just about with us! No doubt this email is hitting many of your work autoresponders now...and that's okay.
For those of you looking for some light reading over the holiday break, this issue has an amusing set of emoji insights that you might be able to share with your family or friends if there's a lull in conversation.
Notably this month Unicode released the Emoji 11.0 beta. This was previously known as Emoji 6.0, but changed to sync the version number with the Unicode release it relies upon. Naming aside, a mechanism for reversible emojis is included which was announced for the first time in this release.
That means in addition to the new emojis in 2018, some existing emojis may get the capability to be flipped.
Still on the list from earlier drafts is the options for red, curly or white hair (and bald!) as well as a swan, party face, skateboard, mango, and bagel. The list is set to be completed in January, and we should all know exactly what made the final list prior to April 2018.
๐ฐ News
๐ฐ The Unicode Blog: Unicode Emoji 11.0 Beta
Unicode announcement of the Unicode Emoji 11.0 beta, with links to data files for developers.
๐ One More Step Toward 2018 Emoji List
My summary of all the changes noted in Emoji 11.0 beta, as well as the associated changes such as reversible emoji direction.
๐ญ Interesting
๐จโ๐ค Bowie and Prince rule "Singer" emoji picks
The emoji for man singer doesn't specify a specific person (in fact, Unicode guidelines wouldn't permit it) but that doesn't mean platform vendors can't have an inspiration.
David Bowie (Ziggy Stardust) takes the lead for most implementations, but WhatsApp recently went with Prince for their version.
โฉ๏ธ Reverse Emoji Could Be Coming SoonโHere are the 5 Best Creations
The news that Unicode might be supporting reversible emojis actually struck more of a chord than I expected.
๐ฏ I'm Begging You Emoji Overlords, Rescue This Adorable Animal Horn Section
A more, uh, specific case for how reversible emojis could be used.
๐ The Economist letters include an emoji
Included in the print edition of The Economist, this emoji sits within a letter like any other character.
๐ Die grosse Welt der Emojis
(in German) "the big world of emojis" is how this translates for me: a look at the entire emoji phenomenon, including an interview with Unicode president Mark Davis.
โป๏ธ Why the Emoji Recycling Symbol is Taking Over Twitter
Matthew Rothenberg of EmojiTracker noticed โป๏ธ climbing the ranks of popularity on Twitter and wondered what's going on. He found an answer.
โ xkcd: A ๏ฟฝ
It might seem like forever ago now, but that bug that caused iOS to insert (and display) the letter I as a capital A and question mark really made a splash.
๐ซ Gun Emoji Pairings (Part 2) โ Lexical Items
Jane Solomon with part two of her analysis on how the gun emoji is used. And a wildcard: what's โฝ doing in there?
๐ Most popular emoji in the US, according to Apple
In a rare move for Apple, they have shared the most popular emojis used on iOS. These mostly track the same as other sources such as Emojipedia data or Emoji Tracker, but one stands out that is in Apple's top 10 but not others: โ ๏ธ
๐ฒ I messaged 9 guys on Tinder using only emojis and this is what happened
Something to try at home. Or not.
๐ค Lastly
Lastly, if you're looking for some festive inspiration, here's two lists you might find helpful:
If you like what you see here and you want some more, consider subscribing to the Emoji Wrap Podcast or following Emoji Wrap on Twitter. You can also find me on Twitter, too! - J