Emoji are universal, stickers are personal
Standard emoji work because everyone understands them. Custom emoji stickers work because they feel specific to a person, character, fandom, friend group, or recurring joke.
Use sticker packs for richer expressions
A sticker pack can show a complete set of emotions with the same visual identity. That makes it useful for chats where you want a recognizable character or style across multiple replies.
Keep custom emoji simple
The closer a sticker gets to emoji size, the more important clarity becomes. Use bold silhouettes, focused faces, clean outlines, and compact captions.
