When Harvey Ball drew two dots and a semicircle on a yellow badge in 1963, he laid the foundation for all the emojis we have at our disposal. Today, it's hard to imagine written communication without emojis.
In this blog post, we will show you how to add emojis to Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word. In addition, just in time for World Emoji Day, we would like to briefly discuss the DOs and DON'Ts of using emojis in a business context.
Since MS Office 2016, you can translate certain keyboard shortcuts directly into emojis in Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint. A few of the most common keyboard shortcuts you can use to directly insert an emoji in PowerPoint / Outlook are:
Whether Outlook, PowerPoint, or Word, MS Office offers you about 60 different emojis which you can insert with a few clicks:
The dialog shows emojis in black and white only. As soon as you insert an emoji in a document, slide, or email, it will appear in your text in color.
In 1982 computer science professor Scott E Fahlman suggested using smiley pictograms to mark humorous :) and serious statements :( in e-mails. That way, emotions could be clear and misunderstandings in e-mail correspondence avoided as far as possible. Here is the first mail from Fahlman, in which he explains the use of emojis for e-mail correspondence:
"I suggest the following string to indicate jokes: :-)
Read it sideways. Actually, with the current trend, it is probably more rational to mark things that are NOT jokes. Use for it: :-("
A well-placed smiley in a document, presentation or email speaks volumes. For better or worse. Here are a few points to consider when using emojis in business communication as well as marketing.
Adding emojis to PowerPoint and Outlook - when done right - brings numerous benefits. The same is true when you use emojis in the subject lines of your emails. Emojis act as little eye-catchers and can provide an extra incentive to open your mails. However, keep a few things in mind here as well:
You have probably inserted an emoji or two into PowerPoint and/or Outlook and found that the process can be quite time-consuming. After all, the goal is not to find just any smiley but to insert exactly the emoji that fits perfectly. Our empower® Office 365 offers you the perfect solution! The empower® Icon Library is a treasure trove tailored to your needs and your company, where you can find the perfect emoji for MS Office programs like Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word with just a few clicks.
Are you looking to not only find emojis in your corporate design, but how to successfully implement your corporate identity in all Microsoft Office Applications? Then learn more about our Brand Control Solution for MS Office. Just get in touch!