Kindness is a contact sport.

This is the mantra behind the "Shoulder Check" campaign. Shoulder Check is an #HT40 Foundation initiative inspiring young men and women to commit to supporting one another through small acts that have a big impact. To show them that ‘being there’ is as simple as a hand on a shoulder. Every year, the #HT40 Foundation partners with the NHL and other major organizations to put on a showcase event to spread awareness with numerous hockey all-stars showing up to show their commitment to the movement.

As a partner to the cause, Droga5 created an initiative leading up to World Emoji Day (and the 2024 Shoulder Check Showcase) to create an easier way for people to check in on one another, even when they don’t have the right words.

Over the course of several weeks and rounds of reviews, I concepted, hand illustrated, and created the original “checking in” emoji for our official bid to join the Apple Emoji Keyboard in the fall of 2024. After nearly 40 ideas and sketches, we— alongside the client— narrowed our options down to two final emojies— and from there let the people make the final vote.

With some very generously donated ad space, and a 48 hour notice, we launched a Time Square OOH takeover, man on the street social coverage, and were even invited to ring in the NYSE bell the morning of World Emoji Day… Sparking hundreds of votes from the public on which emoji they would use to check in on one another, and keeping the conversation around mental health in teen sports alive.

So… which emoji would you use to check in on your friend?

@theshouldercheck | https://www.shouldercheck.org/ht40

THE D5 TEAM: Collin Wolf, Melanie Fourgess, Maria Lee, Abigail Hoeflinger, Alyssa Gaddis, Jude Cohen, Molly Klein,