Google explains the design of Android’s new Noto 3D emoji

To mark World Emoji Day, Google has delved into the design of its new 3D emoji. As previewed at The Android Show in May, all 3,977 emoji characters have been redesigned to be three-dimensional.

To date, Google says its emoji style has “always favored expression over hyper-realism.” In going 3D, the emoji “designs can have dimension without being photorealistic.” Humorously:

The company ran “large-scale user studies to evaluate how changing emoji could potentially mess with human connection” and found “universal truths”:

The new emoji starts out as 2D drawings, with the shift to 3D models requiring Google to “resolve architectural questions” like: “What does the back of a smiley face look like? Is it a concave mask, a solid bouncy ball or a flat piece of paper?”

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In regards to color, Google notes that “emoji with the darkest skin tones can be difficult to see in dark mode.”

Noto Emoji 3D will first be available on Pixel phones later this year, and come to all Google products afterward. All characters are available as open-sourced 3D models (.OBJ files).

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