When to use
If you're using emojis, they should ideally meet all the following criteria:
- Used as an enhancement (but not in place of words)
- Used sparingly
- Used when the overall tone of the experience is light
Emojis chosen should also be light in tone (i.e. confetti is OK; tombstones for a Halloween email, not so much)
- Used when there's no chance of the emojis appearing juxtaposed with grim, serious articles
For example, Microsoft doesn't have flag emojis. Check to make sure your emojis convey what you're intending.
How to use
If you use emojis:
- Use widely recognized emojis that translate well across devices.
For example, Microsoft doesn't have flag emojis. Check to make sure your emojis convey what you're intending.
- Make sure the emoji has enough contrast for both light and dark modes.
- Place them at the beginning or end of sentences, not in the middle.
- Use within text (as opposed to an image or any other format).
This is required by Apple's guidelines.
- Make sure related copy stands on its own — emojis should be able to be deleted without affecting the meaning.
When to avoid
Avoid using emojis:
- To represent our core product offerings.
If we need art to represent core product offerings, we should evaluate if the use case warrants creating custom art.
- If there's any chance of the emojis appearing juxtaposed with grim, serious stories.