Character sticker design: Creating common emotion and situation sets
- The sticker is not an image expressing emotion; it is a communication tool.
- There are specific moments when people repeatedly search for a particular character.
- In the first set, focus on the purpose of the conversation, not just facial expressions.
- Reasons why beautiful stickers are not being used.
- The choices made by someone creating something for the first time are different from those made by someone who has already created it before.
- How to place stickers in WordPress – DecoBlocks.
- Frequently Asked Questions.
- WordPress-related plugins
The operator, Jiwoo, who was reading the comments, repeatedly paused at the same scene. This was because it felt too formal to write “thank you,” and simply adding a smiling emoji didn’t convey the intended meaning.
Therefore, I reviewed the character stickers again. The important thing was not the number of facial expressions. It was about finding the moment when people would repeatedly use them.
The sticker is not an image expressing emotion; it is a communication tool.
Character sticker sets are not about adding lots of emotions. They involve designing tools that quickly and effectively convey common conversational situations through images and short phrases.
“Hello,” “thank you,” and “I’ve checked it” are phrases that are repeated every day. In contrast, very special feelings are often experienced only once and may not be encountered again.
The Unicode Consortium treats emojis as a character system that represents emotions or concepts. This is also the reason why actual usage data is referenced when reviewing new emojis.
In the first set, instead of focusing on the emotions the character expresses, you should first identify what users frequently want to say instead.
It’s about the purpose, not the facial expressions.
There are specific moments when people repeatedly search for a particular character.
The reason characters are popular on platforms like Naver Blog, Tistory, and KakaoTalk is because they can convey relationships and atmosphere directly, even without using long sentences. This same need is reflected in WordPress through light expressions used in comments, notices, and around buttons.
According to the Unicode usage frequency data, not all emojis are used equally. Usage is concentrated in certain expressions, with 😂 and ❤️ being the most frequently used, followed by 😍, 🤣, 😊, 🙏, and 💕.
The LINE Creators Market, which displays the number of sticker sales and the number of times stickers are sent, also reveals this same reason. Stickers are not simply a collection of images; they are treated as a recurring tool in actual conversations.
It is also noteworthy that special collections and promotions are held with themes related to seasons and trends. People seek expressions that are appropriate for the current situation, even if it is the same character.
The moment it is used, it creates demand.
In the first set, focus on the purpose of the conversation, not just facial expressions.
The first set to be created is not “joy, sadness, anger.” It is better to base the set on actual actions, such as “greeting, expressing gratitude, confirming, apologizing, cheering, and finishing.”
The questions that run through the mind of someone looking for a sticker are simple: “Do I want to say thank you right now?”, “Do I need to let them know that I’ve seen it?”, or “Do I want to bring the conversation to a smooth close?”
The recommended tag feature in LINE Creators Market links stickers to specific phrases. It suggests stickers or emojis that are relevant to the words entered in a chat.
GIPHY also examines not only the number of views but also the selection rate and engagement rate for each search term. This is because whether content is actually selected after being searched is a more accurate indicator of its usefulness.
Therefore, when planning, first create a list like this.
- The greeting exchanged when you first meet someone.
- Expressing gratitude when receiving help.
- Confirmation that the content has been read.
- An apology offered after a mistake.
- It is a message of encouragement intended to help the other person gain strength.
- A natural and smooth way to conclude a conversation.
Within each set of options, the facial expressions, poses, and short phrases must be different. This is so that the user can immediately select the desired meaning without having to click on each image individually.
The list is essentially the blueprint.
Reasons why beautiful stickers are not being used.
The most common challenge when creating something directly is deciding “how far to push the use of similar expressions.” When three smiling faces are all depicted with bright smiles, the differences may be apparent to the creator, but on a mobile screen, those differences are often barely noticeable.
If the font size is small, the situation becomes even more difficult. Because users select options directly from the chat window without zooming in, long sentences or small text obscure the meaning of the image.
Ultimately, where will the problems arise? On mobile screens, similar facial expressions are not distinguishable, and text that should be short obscures the image. The person who creates the content knows all the designs well and feels the differences strongly, but a first-time user must make a judgment at a glance.
Therefore, after creating the sticker, it is important to consider the user’s choice rather than the creator’s intention. If the number of transmissions and the search and recommendation phrases are not checked, it may only result in the continuous addition of similar expressions.
What is beautiful and what is useful are different.
When inserting character images into WordPress, another problem arises. If emojis used for decoration and images used to convey information are treated in the same way, the meaning can be lost in environments where images are not displayed.
Unicode explains that the appearance of emojis may vary depending on the operating system and platform. In environments that do not support the latest emojis, different display methods may be used.
WordPress.com uses Twemoji to display emojis when the operating system does not support the latest emojis. If an image is used to convey meaning, alternative text should be included to improve accessibility and image search.
Another misconception is the idea that stickers with more exposure are necessarily better. The engagement rate at GIPHY is a metric that indicates whether the number of times a sticker is displayed in search results actually leads to users selecting it. Therefore, usefulness cannot be determined solely based on the number of times a sticker is shown.
What matters more than the number of times something is shown is selection.
The choices made by someone creating something for the first time are different from those made by someone who has already created it before.
For those who are new to creating these, it is sufficient to start with a small set of just six purposes. First, define the purposes: greetings, gratitude, confirmation, apology, encouragement, and conclusion. Then, clearly distinguish the facial expressions and actions associated with each purpose.
The WordPress operator should first determine the appropriate placement of the content. Use decorative emojis sparingly to maintain a light tone in the main text. For character images that convey meaning, check both the alternative text and mobile readability.
If a set already exists, do not simply add new facial expressions. Instead of focusing on sales figures, it is better to examine the frequency of transmissions and the actual search and recommendation phrases, and replace expressions that are used less often.
When choosing tools, apply the same criteria. It is important to have features that allow you to verify actual selections, such as the number of transmissions per sticker, recommended tags, and selection rates by search term, rather than just the name of a specific tool.
If you lack data, start with a small set to observe user reactions. If you have data, reduce the use of less frequent expressions and make the differences in frequently used purposes more clear.
A good set of phrases is not necessarily one that is full of emotion. It is a set that most concisely and clearly replaces the words that a user repeatedly uses.
Make it smaller and adjust it with actual selections.
How to place stickers in WordPress – DecoBlocks.
When inserting character images into the body of a WordPress post, it is important to separate the role of the sticker from the placement of the description. The “Insert Character Sticker” feature in DecoBlocks allows you to insert character stickers from the installed sticker pack into the post. It can be used as an “Insert Sticker” block in the block editor, or as a shortcode in the classic editor, allowing for consistent placement regardless of the editing method.
If you need to explain the purpose or precautions for use next to a sticker, you can use the “Section Box (Solid)” to enclose the relevant information in a solid-colored box. You can use the “Speech Bubble (Left)” to display sentences as if they were part of a conversation. You can highlight key sentences with “Highlight (Yellow)” to distinguish their role within the text, preventing the mixing of decoration and information.
Frequently Asked Questions.
Q. What emotions and situations are best to include initially?
A. Instead of deciding on the number of sentiments, choose the repeated conversational purposes first, such as greetings, expressions of gratitude, confirmations, apologies, encouragement, and conclusions. It is more important that the expressions for each purpose do not overlap with each other.
Q. Where is the best place to use character stickers on my website?
A. It can be used in places where you want to soften the tone or supplement the meaning, such as around comments, notices, or buttons. Use decorative emojis sparingly, and always check the alternative text and mobile readability for images that convey information.
Q. Can this problem be easily solved using a tool? What kind of tool should be used?
A. It is more important to have a function that allows you to check usage data than to have a specific tool. Utilize tools that provide metrics that lead to actual selections, such as the number of transmissions per sticker, recommended tags, and the selection rate for each search term.
Q. How can I display character stickers and their descriptions together in WordPress?
To divide the roles, include the characters from the installed sticker pack in the main text, and briefly explain their purpose next to or below them.
DecoBlocks’ Insert Character Sticker allows users to include a sticker pack within a post, while the Section Box (Solid) feature groups related content within a solid-colored box. Both features are available in both the block editor and the classic editor, allowing users to arrange them according to their preferred writing style.
