CNN has released a set of emojis for the 2016 presidential election that users can save as images and include in their texts. The emojis are of presidential hopefuls’ faces and the White House. There are twenty-one total emojis. The faces include Jeb Bush (R), Ben Carson (R), Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Vice President Joe Biden (D), and Hillary Clinton (D).
Will Mullery, a freelance designer with CNN, has claimed credit for the emoji on Twitter. The emoji pictures include the face and a message bubble which changes color based upon the candidate’s party affiliation. The bubble also includes the CNN logo.
TKNN reached out to CNN to find out more about the emoji and we got this statement from CNN Digital Politics Executive Editor Rachel Smolkin:
CNN Digital is in full ramp-up mode to report on the 2016 presidential election. We’re exploring many ways to tell this exciting story that will tap our tremendous reporting resources and use both traditional and innovative approaches to story-telling. We are taking a look at how our users get their news and share news across platforms, and want to help them engage with 2016 as it begins in fun and new ways, as well as giving them great scoops, enterprise and analysis on the race.
You can absolutely expect to see more creativity from CNN’s Digital Politics team – from the Too Many Cooks video to emojis, this is just the beginning of our innovative way of covering politics. Stay tuned!
CNN Digital Politics has been on a hiring spree lately as they expand their digital team. They have increased their amount of illustrations, with animations being used for a story on Hillary Clinton’s Brooklyn headquarters and to promote Jeff Zeleny’s first appearance on CNN.
The response to the emojis has largely been positive, based off tweets about them. One Twitter user poked fun at a news organization putting these out, but Mullery took it in stride.
“@fedupam2: @CNNPolitics Well you dont report the real news so might as well have some fun while u get paid” <– this guy gets it!
— ukelyon (@ukelyon) April 10, 2015