ICDHS 12: LESSONS TO LEARN? Past Design Experiences and Contemporary Design PracticesAt: Zagreb/Croatia, October, 16th-19th, 2020. Online Conference in Collaboration with Prof. Dr. Keisuke Takayasu and Nicole Christ

Digital Communication and Global Visual Image Standards of Emojis as a Challenge for an Intercultural Comparison Between Japan and Germany

The digital 21st century is radically transforming how reading and writing are practiced and is placing fun- damentally new demands on the use of language and, in particular, images. The dominance of the visual is evident in the intercultural use of images, videos and symbols in social media, but also in the steadily growing popularity of emojis over the past 10 years. The continuous growth in the number of available emojis and their compatibility with all operating systems make this image standard a pop culture phenomenon. The Japanese origin and subsequent global adoption of emojis raises the question of the user’s intention in using these symbols. An intercultural comparison between Japanese and German users is intended to present evidence and differences in the symbols used and their meaning. Recommendations for the publication of new pictographs as well as their selection and design criteria can then be discussed. It turns out that diversity, gender and violence are viral issues that the users in the study commented on more or less the same or divergently. The intercultural readability of emojis forms a current opportunity to analyse aesthetics, design and reception in different cultures.