Getting the Idea
So, I was looking at the standard emojis the other day, you know, the ones on your phone. And I thought, they’re all pretty safe, aren’t they? Like, super vanilla. Nothing really captures that slightly awkward or weird feeling sometimes. That got me thinking, what if there were emojis that were a bit… riskier? Not offensive, just pushing the boundaries a little, maybe open to interpretation.
Starting the Mess
I decided to just mess around and try making some. Didn’t really have a grand plan. I grabbed a notepad first, just sketching out some dumb ideas. Things that felt a bit off, or had a double meaning maybe. Some concepts I toyed with:
- An emoji that’s smiling but also sweating nervously, like, really sweating.
- A thumbs-up that’s slightly bent, looking kinda painful or sarcastic.
- A heart emoji that looked like it was stitched back together, maybe a bit crudely.
- A pile of something ambiguous… could be mud, could be something else. That felt risky.
Just silly stuff, really. The goal wasn’t to shock, but to make something that made you look twice.
Making Them Digital (Sort Of)
Okay, sketching is easy. Making them into actual digital things? Less so. I’m no graphic designer, mind you. I opened up some basic drawing software on my computer. Tried to translate my crappy sketches into pixels. It was harder than I thought. Getting the simple, clean look of regular emojis but with that weird twist? Tough stuff.
Spent a couple of evenings just fiddling with lines and colors. Trying to make the ‘sweating smile’ look genuinely stressed, not just badly drawn. The ‘stitched heart’ needed to look fragile, not just messy. Lots of trial and error. Mostly error, if I’m honest.
The hardest part was keeping them simple enough to work small, like actual emojis. Too much detail and they just became a blob when tiny.
The “Risky” Part and The Result
Why risky? Well, showing them to a few friends, the reactions were mixed. Some laughed, got the vibe immediately. Others were like, “Uh… what is that supposed to mean?” or “Is that… appropriate?”. That ambiguity was the point, but also the risk. You put something out there that isn’t crystal clear, people fill in the blanks, sometimes in ways you didn’t intend.
In the end, I didn’t build an app or anything crazy. I just had a small set of maybe 5-6 custom image files on my computer. Sometimes I drop them into chats with friends who get the joke. It’s not world-changing. But it was a fun little exercise in seeing how much meaning is packed into those tiny symbols, and what happens when you play with that meaning, even slightly.
It taught me that even simple icons carry a lot of weight, and going off the beaten path, even with something as silly as emojis, feels kinda adventurous. You’re not sure how people will take it. That’s the risk, I guess. Pretty low stakes, but still interesting to experience.
