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Underground > Creation >

Design Some Emoticons...

Grey Area

19:49 / 03.05.04

In this thread over in the Policy the possibility of designing a new set of emoticons that don't jar with the board's design was raised. So, this is the thread where you get to shine and provide us with some emoticons that are more Barbelith and less UBB.

For reference, these are the emoticons currently used on the board:
Big Grin:

Bulb On:

Confused:

Cool:

Eek:

Frown:

Mad:

Redface:

Rolleyes:

Smile:

Tongue:

Wink:

Needless to say we could do with losing a couple of these (what on earth is redface meant to symbolise?) but that's up to you as the designer. Post your suggestions here, keeping within the size limitations of the current icons.

Sax

20:30 / 04.05.04

Perhaps it's a fishcake.

FinderWolf

16:56 / 05.05.04

Redface looks to me like a smiley in the throes of romantic passion. Either that or a smiley so frustrated, angry and exasperated that someone *just doesn't get it* that he's about to blow his proverbial top and have a tantrum. But anyway...

deja_vroom

23:13 / 06.05.04

redface is blushing coyly. isn't it OBVIOUS?
*(slams hand hard in table*

Spatula Clarke

23:55 / 06.05.04

I posted these in the other thread - didn't realise this one was here until MC pointed it out.

Anyway, they all follow the standard smiley formula - 15x15, round faces, the usual suspects. Barbelith's multi-coloured nature makes coming up with anything other than just a black image pretty difficult, but on the plus side, it stops them from standing out from the text in a thread. MC also mentioned that the chubby roundness is at odds with the Underground's right angles, but I think it makes a nice contrast without standing out from the text too much.

But I would say that.

Barbelith =

I've got to say, I really like fridge's idea of going with abstract smileys - the main reason I followed the set formula was because coming up with something original but still recognisable (as in: it's obvious what it's supposed to convey) seems too much like hard work, but I'd love to see somebody do it.

w1rebaby

01:26 / 07.05.04

The only real example I know of abstract mood icons is this person I know from LJ. As you may or may not be aware, LJ allows you to associate mood icons with your posts, and you can customise them (though few people do, preferring instead to choose from pre-defined sets).

You have to associate a picture with a number of moods ("happy", "sad") which can then have subsets ("ecstatic", "disappointed"). I'm not sure of how to get a listing of the whole lot.

I can contact her about it.

Less searchable M0rd4nt

12:31 / 07.05.04

fridge, I had a look at that journal and those icons are beautiful. Barbelith would look nice wearing those.

FinderWolf

12:44 / 07.05.04

OK, that Barbelith bouy/satellite/Jupiter-looking icon/"smiley" is amazing. Did you create that???

Spatula Clarke

14:58 / 07.05.04

Mine? That's one I did ages back, pretty much when I first started posting here. Don't think I ever posted it, though.

Taking a cue from those LJ examples, but mainly the stuff mentioned by Mordant (squares) and fridge (that "swirly pink bubble with a parachute" has been in my mind ever since I read it), and going with Barb's pastels, how about this sort of thing:

Happy =

Laughing =

Sad =

gridley

15:49 / 07.05.04

Oooh, Randy, you emoticons are making me philosophical....

laughter is a circle, sadness is a wave....

Linus Dunce

20:13 / 07.05.04

Mordant suggested, I think, white square smileys ...

He-he

Uh-oh

Hmph

Sorry they keep disappearing, it's a long story.

Linus Dunce

22:37 / 07.05.04

Or perhaps, if we are going to be rational about this

, we should use the Barbelith background colour

.

I like the way that doesn't overpower the text. Any takers?

Grey Area

23:05 / 07.05.04

I like the background colour ones...any way we could combine them with the abstract designs?

Linus Dunce

11:34 / 08.05.04

Could do, but the colour ones use colour as the signifier of their mood -- the sad one is cold blue, etc. They wouldn't make as much sense in monochrome.

iconoplast

02:25 / 28.05.04

I remember posting something this in 'Policy' a while ago but can't find where.

I believe barbelith should have its own set of emoticons - from 'Posting While Drunk' to 'Asscandling for Fun and Profit.' Perhaps even a little 'Joycore/Borecore' emoticon to save bandwidth and make those (you know which you are) threads load faster.

(Shapeshifters get of the microphone: *-)) )
(Conor Oberst: *-((( )

&c.

mondo a-go-go

13:03 / 03.10.05

So, as this just came up again here, I thought I'd bump this again. I like Randy's designs, but they're kind of abstract. Sometimes you want something else. Based on recent conversations in the Conversation alone (ack! "conversations in the Conversation"?), we could have pirate, ninja, badger, martini glass, pint of ale, frying-pan etc etc.

I am being silly, but I think it could be fun.

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