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WonderTechnology fact903 of 1,961

The first widely used emoji — 176 simple 12×12 pixel icons — were designed by Shigetaka Kurita in 1999.

Technology history

TechnologyHistory

Why it matters

The idea in context

Kurita designed the 176 icons for NTT DoCoMo’s mobile internet platform. Their 12-by-12 pixel limits made them tiny, but expressive enough to become ancestors of a global visual language now preserved by MoMA.

Türkçe

Aynı kart, başka bir dilde.

Yaygın kullanılan ilk emojiler — 176 basit 12×12 piksel ikon — 1999'da Shigetaka Kurita tarafından tasarlandı.

Kurita, 176 ikonu NTT DoCoMo’nun mobil internet platformu için tasarladı. 12’ye 12 piksellik sınırları onları küçücük yapıyordu; ama bugün MoMA’da korunan küresel bir görsel dilin ataları olacak kadar ifadeli çıktılar.

Source trail

Read beyond the card.

Kurita, 1999 (NTT DoCoMo).

Background reading: EmojiAttribution and context are revised when stronger evidence appears. Corrections are welcome through the editorial page.
Open in the iPhone appEditorial method

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