Public Service EMOJIs
Get a Face Lift
Get a Face Lift
KEY CONCEPT: Emojis can offer universal visual signage for public benefit only when they are well designed, and not ambiguous.
 Figure 1. The ubiquitious "Happy Face" is immediately recognizable as a psotive emoticon. | Facial expression is a universal language. That fact has not been lost on designers of informational signs and posters, who use highly simplified faces to communicate to a broad audience without the use of words. It's refreshing to see such emoji-based signage well done, as in the Food Safety Rating chart, shown in Figure 2. Published by the Public Health Department of King County (where I live), these signs warn customers about the food safety practices and number of violations cited for a restaurant's kitchen. I have no quarrel with the designer's facial expression progression from Neutral, to Slightly Happy, to Very Happy, to Laughing. It's very readable and it easily tells me which establishments to patronize, or avoid. |
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