Emoji — those silly little faces and symbols on your phone — are an essential part of contemporary culture. They smile up at you from your computer screen, and beam down at you from billboards. They're so ubiquitous that it's easy to think of them existing without a history, or created without a designer. Nothing could be further from the truth!

This fun, 1-day workshop will give you a taste of emoji design. We'll start by exploring their 20th Century origins in smilies, emoticons and Japanese mobile phones, and get a feel for how emoji work to glue modern communication together. Then, assisted through the process by 1:1 reviews and class critiques, students will design their very own emoji set.

This workshop is perfect for moderate-to-experienced graphic designers and illustrators who want the chance to explore emoji as a design medium with a seasoned guide. Type design or icon design experience a plus, but not required. The class will take place over the chat and streaming service Discord.