When creating and using emoticons on deviantART there are a number of common emote related words and phrases that are used within the community. Some may be straight forward, but others are a little more complicated to pick up and understand. After being in the community a while these become second nature and it’s easy to forget that not everyone is familiar with what you are talking about.

This is a simple list of some of the most used terms explained individually. It covers a number of different elements from the emote community including different styles, types and even clubs.

Hopefully this will allow deviants from all around dA to gain a better understanding when it comes to emote comments and critiques left by fellow emoticonists. If you feel anything needs to be added or altered let me know

General

Emote/Emoticon - An emoticon, also commonly known as an emote, is a small pixel based image used to help express a feeling, mood or action. The characters involved are often round in shape and can come in a variety of colours. The average size for an emote is 15x15 pixels, however this can vary.

Smiley[1] - A smiley is similar to an emoticon, however there are some slight differences. Smileys are generally slightly larger in size than emoticons and are most commonly yellow in colour. Another common feature is individual fingers, which are not often used within emoticons.

Smiley[2] - The word smiley can also be used to describe the simple expressions you can form using text such as =) and =P. Within dA these become actual images, for example and and are shown under the 'expressions' section within the dA legend.

Tardmotes - A style of emoticons originally created by ~darkmoon3636 as seen here, tardmotes are a style of emoticons which display uncommon smilies, :U and >:3 for example.

Tards - Evolved from the original tardmotes, tards is the modern term used to describe emoticons with single pixel 'dot' eyes and are not always the most intellegent of characters.

An example of each can be found below:


Massive Emoticons - Massive emotes, also known as Mega Emotes or Big Emotes are emoticons with a size far above the average 15 x 15 pixels.

Emoticonist / Emotist - A deviant that creates emoticons is known as an emoticonist, or an emotist.

Smiley Maker - A deviant that creates smilies as opposed to emoticons is known as a smiley maker

Types of Emotes

Static - Emoticons that do not move are known as static emoticons.

Animated - Emoticons which move are known as animated emoticons. These are made up of several different frames (images) that are connected together one after another.

Packs - A pack is a set of multiple emoticons submitted in the same deviation to make it easier for users to download them all at once. They are often created to be used on forums or instant messengers.

Large format - Large format describes emoticons that are larger than the average size. It has no connection to the canvas size of the emoticon, but rather the size of the emote character involved.

Making Emotes

Frame - A frame is a single image that is used to show the emoticon in one position. When multiple different frames are put together in succession, it causes the emoticon to move.

Frame rate / Frame Delay - The amount of time between frames in an animation is known as the frame rate or delay. The average is between 0.07 and 0.1 seconds. Animations with rates under 0.07 may appear slower in certain web browsers.

Layers - Layers can be used within an emoticon such that different body parts can be moved individually. This can make animation far quicker and easier. As each program uses layers in a slightly different manner, you are best to find a tutorial to discover more about them.

Border - The one pixel line between the inside colour of the emoticon and its surroundings is known as the border. In the past it was commonly black, but in newer emoticons it is more likely to be a darker shade of the emoticon colour.

Base - The word base is used to describe a pre-made emote ‘body’ which is ready for animation. The majority of emoticonists create their own bases, however there are a number of free to use base packs available for less experienced deviants.

15 pixel base - The most common size for an emoticon is a 15x15 pixel circle. This creates a small but clear and round shape. A clear break down of the pixelling can be seen in this image

Canvas size - The space around the emoticon is called the canvas. The size of this can be altered. The canvas size of the emoticon may need to be restricted for use in different areas around dA. For more info, see the 'size limits' sectio of this news article

File type

.gif - The .gif format should be used for any animated emoticon. It can also be used for a static emoticon.

.png - The .png format is recommended for any static emoticon as it saves the image clearly and allows transparency

.jpeg - The .jpg format should NOT be used for emoticons. It has a tendency to mess with the colours and blur pixels.

deviantART related

Plz accounts - Plz accounts are deviantART accounts created purely for the use of their avatars. As plz accounts are normal avatars, they must follow the restrictions of 50x50 pixels and a 15kb size limit, and are shown by typing :iconPlzAccountName:. The majority of such accounts end in the three letters Plz to identify their use, and are therefore known as Plz accounts.

Zikes - The Zikes emoticon script (often shortened to Zikes) is a script created by `Zikes to allow non-official emoticons to be easily used within chats. Emoticons submitted to dA can be given a Zikes Code to allow them to be used on dAmn in a similar way to the legend emoticons. To use this script, you must first use Firefox and install Greasemonkey, before getting a copy of the script here

Project - Emoticon projects are free to enter collaborations between emoticonists on dA. A certain theme or background is created and entries for the project can be made and submitted. The entries are then combined to make the project. Projects are not contests, therefore do not involve winners or prizes. A list of past and present projects can be found on this page

Legend - The emoticon legend is the current system used to post emoticons in comments throughout the site. The emoticons are produced by typing in the emoticons :code:. The list of emoticon legend emotes can be found here

Dictionary - The emoticon legend is soon to be revamped with a new system known as the emoticon dictionary. This system will allow the community to help choose which emoticons are available for use, along with improvements on the current legend

Emotication - =Emotication is a emoticon tutorial and resource club. The account offers a list of over 170 different tutorials and information on many useful things to do with emoticons.

Emoticiety - =Emoticiety is the current emoticon submissions club. It helps promote work from emoticonists within the community, as well as holding a number of contests.

Emoticon Opus - *EmoticonOpus is a contest based club for emoticonists. Although dormant in recent weeks, it has previously held a number of contests for the community. On occasions it is referred to as just ‘the Opus’ as a shortened name

TheTardClub - *TheTardClub is a submissios based club revolving around the ‘tard’ style of emoticons. The club uploads work from members to help promote it I the community

So i herd u liek emotes - Every Sunday a weekly news articles named ‘So I herd u liek emotes??’ is posted by ^Synfull to help promote emoticons from the community. Articles involve a number or features, as well as spreading the word about projects, contest and emote related topics/information.

So i herd u liek interviews - Within the emote community there is also a twice monthly interview series known as ‘So I herd u liek interviews’ also posted by ^Synfull. Each article focuses on a different emoticonist from the community and offers an insight into their perspective on emotes, as well as features from their gallery.

Chance to shine - The ‘Chance to shine’ series of news articles posted by =LeoLeonardo is focused on promoting new and upcoming emoticon artists from around the community.

A list of past news articles can be found on this page

I hope this has been useful and you now understand a little more about emotes