Future of Stickers: Expanding Emotional Expression Through Personalization, Generative AI, and Beyond Messaging Apps
- Stickers are no longer just about pre-drawn images.
- Why did creators begin to look beyond the confines of the messenger platform?
- What will the characters created by humans be remembered for?
- The most common points of failure when creating something directly are:
- The more personalized a service becomes, the greater the associated costs.
- What is important now is not the quantity of the drawings, but their purpose.
- How to use characters in WordPress posts.
- Frequently Asked Questions.
- WordPress-related plugins
Will the characters I created disappear with a single sentence? How far should I now develop the stickers I used in messaging apps?
To put it simply, instead of competing with AI in terms of drawing speed, artists who create illustrations should focus on creating characters and uses that specific people repeatedly seek.
Stickers are no longer just about pre-drawn images.
In the future, stickers will not be limited to pre-made image sets. Characters that resemble you, images created directly from sentences or photos, and emotion expressions used in posts, comments, and web pages will be seamlessly integrated.
In June 2024, Apple announced Genmoji along with Apple Intelligence. This feature allows users to create personalized images based on descriptions they provide or by using photos of their friends and family.
Expressions like Genmoji are not standard Unicode emoji characters. They are treated as images and related information, and can be used alongside text or sent like stickers.
It doesn’t end with just choosing.
We have moved one step from the era of choosing stickers to an era of creating and using them on the spot.
Why did creators begin to look beyond the confines of the messenger platform?
People who are interested in this topic often have two concerns. One is the anxiety that “My own artwork might be overshadowed by AI,” and the other is the practical concern that “Simply creating stickers for messaging apps might not be enough.”
Apple officially launched Genmoji in iOS 18.2 on December 11, 2024. Genmoji can be used not only in messages but also in stickers and Tapback reactions.
Meta also announced on September 27, 2023, a feature that allows users to create AI stickers based on text descriptions. This feature is being expanded to include WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, and Facebook Stories.
Google announced in July 2024 that Emoji Kitchen contains over 100,000 hand-drawn combinations. The company also stated that the ways to express oneself are expanding beyond Gboard, including Google Search and YouTube Shorts.
Instagram announced in May 2024 a feature that allows users to crop portions of photos or videos and create custom stickers to use in Stories and Reels.
The image shows a sticker being moved from the chat window to the post creation tool.
What will the characters created by humans be remembered for?
Hand-drawn stickers will not disappear. However, relying only on selling beautifully drawn pictures once may gradually become less effective.
The reason is simple: AI quickly creates a single image that fits the situation. However, the rules of facial expressions, the manner of speaking, and the stories that give fans a reason to search for more do not automatically accumulate.
Let’s say there is a person in a company group chat who always replies late. That person might send a specific character’s droopy eyes and small gestures more often than a message saying, “Sorry, I just saw it.”
If the character consistently reacts with the same expressions of surprise, joy, and anticipation for the end of the workday, then the artwork is more than just a simple decoration.
The user recalls their daily life while looking at the picture.
In December 2022, WhatsApp enabled users to use avatars as profile pictures and with 36 emotion and action stickers. In July 2023, Meta announced that avatar stickers would be available in Instagram and Facebook Stories, Reels, Facebook comments, and one-on-one conversations on Messenger and Instagram.
The character is not a single file that is downloaded once.
It should be a face that people continue to recognize across different places.
The most common points of failure when creating something directly are:
When people create content for the first time, they often start with images. However, when they try to upload them, each messaging platform has different requirements, and they often find themselves reconsidering what emotions to express in the posts and comments.
Even if you copy the same character exactly, there will be problems. While short responses are suitable for the chat window, web pages require decorations that do not disrupt the flow of reading. It is also necessary to name things so that users can easily search or find them.
Telegram has provided tools since 2024 that allow users to convert photos into stickers, create sticker packs, and upload static, animated, and video stickers. Creators can also manage their sticker packs and view usage statistics.
However, simply having a tool does not mean it will handle the entire planning process.
It is up to a person to determine how many times a particular facial expression should be repeated, how large something will appear in a given space, and how to maintain a character’s manner of speaking.
Attempting to resolve issues directly can often lead to more delays in organization than in the actual production process. This is because it requires separate steps to adjust file formats and sizes for each platform, verify that the characters are consistent, and assign appropriate names and search terms for each situation.
A picture that looks good in one space may disrupt the flow of text or clash with the emotions in another space. Simply creating a lot of pictures will not solve this problem.
To organize the relationship between characters and text within a webpage, the WordPress editor’s features are required. DecoBlocks allows users to add speech bubbles, boxes, and emphasis to text without directly writing CSS, and also places character images from the installed sticker packs. By separating the areas where characters will appear and where descriptions will be placed, it is possible to create reactions suitable for messaging applications and integrate them as decorations within the webpage’s context.
Ultimately, what is needed is not just a single production tool, but rather a set of rules for the character and a plan for its use in different spaces.
The more personalized a service becomes, the greater the associated costs.
Firstly, the uniqueness of a single image may decrease. If a user can create the desired emotion on the spot, a simple “smiling face” alone will find it difficult to be selected.
Secondly, we cannot guarantee that the same image will always appear in the same way outside of the messaging application. Because Genmoji are personalized images that are different from standard Unicode characters, support for new adaptive image glyphs should be considered to ensure proper display within the app.
The appearance may vary.
Thirdly, personalization features are not separate from personal information issues. Meta stated that requests or search data entered into AI stickers may be used to improve the AI sticker model.
The standards for labeling AI-generated content are also the same across different platforms. Meta stated that it applies a labeling mechanism to realistic AI images, but it does not plan to use a separate label for non-realistic AI stickers.
Therefore, the creator needs to be prepared to explain what they drew or created themselves, and how those elements were made.
Simply incorporating a lot of AI does not automatically make a brand bigger.
What is important now is not the quantity of the drawings, but their purpose.
If you don’t have a character yet, choose one. Then, list 10 emotional situations that the character will repeatedly experience.
- The moment when I am sorry for the delayed response.
- The moment the work is finished, and it’s time to go home.
- The moment when someone receives a compliment and feels awkward.
- The moment of silent comfort.
At this time, it is crucial to avoid a competition based on AI-generated images and speed.
The most important factor is not the ability to quickly create a single image, but rather the rule that makes even ten different images feel like they are of the same character.
If you have already created stickers, design the layout by dividing it into spaces. Use short, reactive elements for messengers, custom elements for social media, and decorative elements that aid in text for websites.
Instead of simply copying the same image, it is necessary to re-determine what emotions to convey in each space. WhatsApp announced in April 2025 that users could directly share user-created sticker packs with others within conversations.
Telegram announced that it made it possible in June 2026 to search for over 100 million user-generated emojis and stickers, and that it supports keywords in 36 languages.
Naming and designing searchable expressions are becoming as important as the actual creation process.
Ultimately, the creators of the future will not be those who simply create a lot of images. They will be those who create characters that a specific person will seek out again at a particular moment, and who can make that character appear the same across different spaces.
How to use characters in WordPress posts.
In a WordPress article, DecoBlocks is responsible for implementing this plan. In the Block Editor, you can insert character images from the installed sticker pack using the “Insert Character Sticker” block. In the Classic Editor, you can achieve the same result using a shortcode. The marketplace also provides a guide on how to find and install sticker packs in the “Get from Marketplace” tab.
You can not only place characters but also refine the structure of the text. You can group related content using the Section Box, highlight important sentences using the Highlight feature, and create a table of contents based on H2 and H3 headings using the Auto Table of Contents. Speech bubbles and quote boxes are used to distinguish the characters’ dialogue or the creator’s explanations from the main text.
Frequently Asked Questions.
Q. Will hand-drawn stickers disappear when generative AI becomes widespread?
A. We cannot definitively say that it will disappear. However, the rarity of images that simply express a single emotion may decrease, so it is necessary to create the character’s facial expressions, manner of speaking, and story together.
Q. In my situation, how should I expand the sticker set for messaging applications?
First, determine the emotional situations that the character will repeatedly experience. Then, in the messenger application, include brief reactions; on social media, incorporate custom elements; and on the website, use text-enhancing decorations. Instead of simply copying the same image, it is better to redesign the size and emotional tone for each specific space.
Q. Can this problem be easily solved using a tool? What kind of tool should be used?
You can review the sticker creation and management tools, as well as the block-based layout tools, provided on the platform. However, these tools do not define the character’s manner of speaking, facial expressions, or usage for each space. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a plan first and then select the appropriate tools.
Q. How can I combine characters, table of contents, and emphasis in a WordPress post?
Using DecoBlocks, you can insert installed sticker packs as “Insert Character Sticker,” and you can create a table of contents for H2 and H3 headings using “Auto Table of Contents.”
Important sentences can be highlighted, and related content can be grouped in section boxes. Block Editor and Classic Editor allow for the placement of these elements using either block or shortcode methods.
