UTC Provides Feedback on Redhead Emoji
The prospect of a redhead emoji was discussed at last week's Unicode Technical Committee meeting in Cupertino.
Multiple options were presented[1] and the Unicode Technical Committee has shown a preference for options #1 and #4:
Redhead/#Gingers in #UnicodeEmoji β #UTC150 asked for revised proposal from @jeremyburge, just exploring options 1&4 https://t.co/c6cJF098dN
— Mark Davis β (@mark_e_davis) January 31, 2017
Option #1 appears to be the simplest method, which would involve the creation of a new, standalone "Person With Red Hair" emoji.
This would be able to support genders and skin tones.
Above: "Option 1" is one of the preferred redhead options from Unicode.
Option #4 involves the use of ZWJ Sequences, which could (theoretically) be extended to support additional hair colors.
A previous proposal to encode color swatches may be required if this approach is chosen by Unicode.
Above: Option #4 could permit additional hair colors.
Timeline
A revised proposal focussing on these options has been requested for a future UTC meeting, and could be tabled for further discussion as soon as May 2017.
If approved at the next UTC meeting, the earliest a redhead emoji could be made available is mid-2018, in time for Unicode 11.0[2].