Okay, let me tell you about something I fiddled with recently. It started, like many things do, with a craving. I really wanted some dim sum the other day, you know? Proper stuff.
So, I was texting a friend about meeting up for some, and I went to find an emoji to send. And seriously, what’s out there? It’s pretty weak. I couldn’t find one that really captured that yummy dim sum feeling. It kind of bugged me. All these options, but nothing for one of the best meals ever? Felt wrong.
Getting the Idea
That got me thinking. How hard could it be to make one? I mean, I mess around with design stuff sometimes, just for fun. So, I figured, why not give it a shot? What’s the worst that could happen? It looks terrible? Okay, fine, no big deal.
First, I had to decide what dim sum item to actually make. There are so many good ones!
- Har Gow (Shrimp dumplings) – Those folds look tricky for a tiny icon.
- Siu Mai (Pork dumplings) – Also a bit complex, maybe? With the little orange bit on top.
- Cheung Fun (Rice noodle rolls) – How do you even show that?
- Char Siu Bao (BBQ Pork Buns) – Now that seemed doable. Nice and round, recognisable.
Yeah, the steamed bun felt like the safest bet to start with. It’s iconic, fairly simple shape. Seemed like something that might actually work as a tiny little picture.
Trying to Make It
So I fired up some simple graphic software I use. Nothing fancy. Started trying to get the shape right. Just a basic roundish bun. Easy enough. But then came the details. It needed to look fluffy, you know? And maybe have that little twist or fold on top where they seal it.
Getting the colour right took way longer than I expected. Too white and it looked flat, like a snowball. Too yellow or beige and it just looked… off. Unappetizing. I must have tried like, ten different shades. Then trying to add a bit of shadow to make it look round, but not dirty? That was a pain.
And the steam! I wanted steam. You gotta have steam with fresh dim sum, right? Tried making some wispy lines. Looked rubbish. Tried making a little cloud shape above it. Looked weird. Eventually settled on just a few very subtle wavy lines. Less is more, I guess.
The Result (Sort Of)
After fiddling around for probably longer than I should have, I had something that looked… well, it looked like a bun. A simple, steamed bun emoji. It wasn’t going to win any awards, that’s for sure. It’s pretty basic.
But you know what? It did the job. I saved it as a small image file. Sent it to my friend instead of using the boring standard ones. They knew exactly what it was supposed to be! So, success? I guess?
It’s not like it’s an official emoji or anything, just a little picture I made. But it was fun trying to capture that dim sum goodness in a tiny icon. Made me appreciate how tricky designing those little things actually is. Anyway, just wanted to share that little project. Now I’m hungry for dim sum again.
