Since late 2015 we have been working with Google on digital sticker sets for their messaging products — an amazing opportunity for us to work with our global network of talent, not to mention putting brilliant illustration into the hands of people everywhere.
Stickers are often mistaken for emoji, but are larger, more detailed and emotive. They act as stand-alone images in digital conversations, and unlike emoji, are individual expressions created by an artist, meaning the possibilities are endless.
The way that Google approached the stickers project was different from the start. They set out to ensure that the focus is on championing the voices of individual artists. This has resulted in a collection of many unique and specific characters, rather than a few with broad appeal.
A sticker for every moment. Over the last two years, we have commissioned and art directed over 50 sticker sets, each made up of 24 static or animated individual stickers. For each set, we work with Google to define the concept and messaging ideas for each, and then assign them to artists in a way that lets their personalities come to life.
Each set has been tailored for a specific audience or use case, ranging from everyday topics such as dating and sports, to character based concepts such as ‘troublemaker’, and for different audiences around the world such as Latin American users.
What does the world want to say? At the beginning of the project we researched how symbols and imagery have been used historically to convey information; from road signs and scout patches to stamps and family crests. This informed a set of guidelines which details what makes a sticker successful and what doesn’t.
Clarity is something we always prioritise throughout the process. If a sticker doesn’t make sense to the user or recipient within a split second, then it’s useless. So we make sure that the style of each set supports the messaging instead of getting in its way.
Character is also a key part of this process. We work with artists to define this beyond just how a sticker looks. As we are creating characters for people to talk to their loved ones through - having a clearly defined personality is very important.
The future of conversation. Through partnering with Google and our collaborators, we have now created over 1,000 stickers featuring hundreds of messaging ideas, dozens of characters, and among them, myriad ways to say ‘I love you’. These can be found for free on Google Allo, Gboard, and Android Messages.
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Anyways Creative
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Google
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