Anyone can create an emoji but only those with a really good proposal and design can advance.

You don't need funding or connections, just a really good 10-page paper.

From start to finish, the process could take up to two years.

In the video above, we break down the process of how an emoji is made and the timeline to follow if you want to submit your own design.

When Apple launched its iOS 2.2 in November 2008, it had to create its own emoji so any emoji sent from SoftBank customers would show up on iPhones.

The first step is to submit your proposal to the Unicode Consortium.