Case Study
African Flavoured Emoji
AfroStickers is a collection of African-flavoured emoji designed to bring the continent’s culture, humour, and warmth into everyday messaging.
- Type
- Digital sticker suite
- Year
- 2017–2020
- Disciplines
- Illustration, product design, storytelling
- Deliverables
- Emoji set, app assets, launch campaign
Putting African expression back into emoji.
AfroStickers started as a personal response to the near-total absence of African faces and gestures on mainstream messaging platforms. I wanted to build a set that felt like home—characters inspired by Nairobi matatu crews, West African aunties, East African slang, and the tiny gestures that make conversations feel alive.
The project quickly grew beyond artwork. AfroStickers launched as a standalone app, featured on Afropunk and the BBC, and even reached local TV in Kenya. It proved that positive African stories resonate when they’re told by the people who live them.
Small stickers, big cultural signals.
Each sticker balances humour with cultural nuance—grandmas throwing shade, boda boda riders weaving through traffic, lovers exchanging “achana na mimi” eye-rolls. The palette leans on kitenge fabrics, matatu signage, and the neon hustle of Nairobi streets.
The sticker app ships with themed packs for celebrations, everyday replies, and expressive reactions. Youth across the continent helped beta test packs before launch, ensuring the emoji reflected real language and trends.
Research
- Visual references from matatu art, Ankara fabrics, street posters
- Audit of existing emoji gaps across major platforms
Design
- 60+ vector stickers
- App icon, App Store visuals, and marketing banners
- Landing page and social launch toolkit
Impact
- BBC, Afropunk, Kenyan TV interview
- Hundreds of downloads
- Mastercard Foundation - Young African Artists 2017