I Am Emoji Creates One-of-a-kind Infographic to Celebrate World Emoji Day on July 17, 2016

LOS ANGELES - July 15, 2016 - PRLog -- I Am Emoji, the Los Angeles-based charitable ecommerce company with its own series of stylized, hand-drawn emojis that adorn the brand's line of fashion, fine jewelry and lifestyle products, has created a one-of-a-kind infographic (www.iamemoji.com/pages/historyofemoji) that compiles the most fascinating facts and statistics about the history, usage and global phenomenon of those expressive little digital images called "emojis." The infographic is I Am Emoji's way of encouraging the celebration of World Emoji Day, which is this Sunday, July 17, 2016.

Some of these facts and stats include:

Almost half of the online population believes emojis create a more personal connection with other people.
Looking at an emoji face has the same effect on the brain as a real face.
Americans use an average of 96 emojis a day, and 6 billion emojis are exchanged globally.
The 2008 launch of the iPhone in Japan was hindered due to its lack of emojis.
The first true emoji was introduced in 1999 (although the first ever emoticon use may have been in 1648).

The facts and statistics used in this unique I Am Emoji infographic were sourced from a wide variety of online websites and special articles. The purpose behind the endeavor is to promote what has been called "emojional" expression for everyone, with a special focus on young children, youth, people who struggle with mental illness, and anyone who wants a fun and empowering way to express themselves.

"Emojis are supposed to be fun and cute, but we could only find literal translations when it came to products. So we gave emoji a make-over!" said Sandy Grigsby, designer and co-founder of the I Am Emoji brand.

Co-founder Peter Jones added, "Emojis are probably the fasting growing digital trend ever and are a unique method for people all around the world to connect. It's a universal language, and in light of our recent launch we thought it only fitting to add the background information for how emoji is 'growing up.'"

According to its website, World Emoji Day is a global holiday created in 2014 by Emojipedia (http://emojipedia.org/) founder, Jeremy Burge. July 17th was chosen because it is the same date that appears on the iOS calendar emoji. The purpose of the holiday is to encourage the spreading of the joy and fun they bring to all people. Along with their emojis, people are encouraged to use the hashtag, #WorldEmojiDay, on July 17th as a way to celebrate.

The universal enjoyment of emojis and their empowerment qualities for personal expression are the heart and vision of the I Am Emoji brand. Featured throughout the visually dynamic infographic are the brand's originally-designed and hand-drawn collection of playful and expressive emoji faces. These one-of-a-kind images, which adorn a variety of products from cashmere sweaters to 14kt gold jewelry to phone cases to pop art to greeting cards, are imbued with their own personalities. "That's what makes our emojis different," explains Sandy. "We bring emojis off the screen and into real life. They're a fun way to express yourself and, of course, connect with others." Their emojis combine the positive affirmation power of "I Am" with the universal visual language of emoji-inspired products.

I Am Emoji is also unique because it is committed to raising awareness for mental illness, anti-bullying, at risk youth and similar vital social causes by donating 5% of its profits to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and other non-profit organizations. In addition, for every purchase, I Am Emoji gives away a copy of their original ebook, "I Am Who I Am," to instill a positive sense of self-worth and acceptance in children. The brand's tagline is, "Emojis for a Cause."

Peter said, "We believe emojis give a voice to those who may not feel they have a voice. They help express what a person is feeling and connect people to one another. Emojis are so universal, we wanted to align our brand with their power to connect and inspire. That's why we're committed to partnering with organizations fighting for those who suffer from low self-esteem, bullying, depression, anxiety and mental illness."

For more information about the I Am Emoji infographic and to purchase emoji products for a good cause, please visit (https://www.iamemoji.com/pages/historyofemoji).