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Emoji

While emoji are commonplace in personal communications, they're inappropriate for enterprise software and don’t belong in Dynatrace content.

  • Emoji distract from content—use words rather than emoji to communicate your message.
  • Emoji are interpreted differently depending on the culture and context in which they’re used—this can lead to inconsistency and confusion, making your message less effective.
  • Emoji don’t fit with our platform personality—you can use emoji to express your own personality in your personal communications, but emoji should not be used to represent Dynatrace personality and voice.

Emoji in different communication contexts​

Use emoji appropriately based on the communication context.

Platform web UI and Dynatrace apps​

Don't use emoji in Dynatrace web UI copy or in Dynatrace apps.

Our platform personality and design system are carefully constructed to communicate the Dynatrace brand. Emoji can interfere with and distract from that communication. They also imply a too-casual tone that doesn’t match our personality and can be interpreted incorrectly by certain audiences.

Documentation​

Don’t use emoji in Documentation content.

Documentation isn't the right place for expressive emoji. Documentation requires a professional tone and technical precision, leaving as little room for interpretation as possible.

Use Dynatrace-standard icons. Don't use an emoji where you would otherwise use an icon, for example, a checkmark emoji for "applicable" or a cross emoji for "not applicable."

Website copy and blog posts​

Avoid emoji in website copy and blog posts.

Avoid using emoji in marketing website copy and blog posts. Emoji create an informal tone that doesn’t suit our brand.

Internal communication​

Use your judgment when it comes to emoji in internal communications.

We don’t restrict the use of emoji in internal presentations, emails, messages, and other communication.

While you're free to use emoji to express your personality, use them professionally and judiciously. Accessibility, inclusion, and message clarity are more important than expressing your unique personality.

Customer and partner communications​

You can use an emoji if a customer or partner uses one first.

In your emails, messages, and presentations shared with customers and partners, use emoji only if a customer or partner has used one first or if you're confident that the context allows for a casual tone.

As with internal emails, Dynatrace policy requires that external emails have a professional tone.

User-generated content​

We don’t restrict emoji usage in user-generated content.

While we don't restrict Dynatrace customers and partners from using emoji in custom apps, Notebooks, dashboard names, or Dynatrace Community content, we've created these emoji guidelines so that third parties developing Dynatrace apps can review and meet Dynatrace standards.

What to use instead of emoji​

Instead of emoji, use words to convey the feeling or emotion you’re trying to express. At the same time—or as an alternative—you can use relevant Dynatrace-standard icons to identify themes or add visual interest (they’re available in the icon library of the Strato design system).

Use words to convey the feeling or emotion you want to express​

If you find yourself reaching for an emoji to make your copy feel warmer or more human, see if you can put your thoughts into words instead.

For example, instead of using 👏 to praise or congratulate a user on completing a task, you could say “Nice work,” “Nicely done,” or “Great job” instead.

Use icons to represent themes or add visual interest​

Although it isn't always apparent, emoji differ from icons in three main ways.

  • Imply emotion or reaction.
  • Aim to make text more human or casual.
  • Are not part of our design language.

Examples

👍 🐞 💡