O'Plérou
O'Plérou | |
|---|---|
| Born | O'Plérou Luc Denis Grebet November 7, 1997 |
| Nationality | Ivorian |
| Education | Institute of Sciences and Communication Techniques |
| Occupation(s) | Graphic designer, Illustrator |
| Years active | 2017–present |
| Notable work | Zouzoukwa |
O'Plérou Grebet (born November 7, 1997, Abidjan) is an Ivorian graphic designer and illustrator. He is known for Zouzoukwa (transl. 'image'), a project he started to promote Africa through emojis he designed.[1] The majority of his emojis reflect the West African culture, mainly Ivory Coast.[2]
Early life and education
O'Plérou Luc Denis Grebet was born on November 7, 1997, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
He went to the Fine Arts School of Abidjan for one year, then studied graphic design at the Institute of Sciences and Communication Techniques.[3]
Zouzoukwa Project
O'Plérou launched his project, "Zouzoukwa", on January 1, 2018, for which he aimed to design and publish on Instagram every day of the year a new emoji that represent the diversity and richness of Africa. His main goal was to share the Ivorian culture with the world through social media.[4] He won the Young Talent Award at Africa Digital Communication Days (Adicom Days) at Abidjan, Ivory Coast, the meeting place for digital actors in French-speaking Africa.[5] for his project. In the process, he collaborated with the French channel Canal +, which uses some of his "made in Ivo" emoticons on social networks during the football World Cup in June and July. He collaborated with an Ivorian brand of clothing and accessories, Imalk Concept, with its smileys on bags.[6]
At the end of the challenge, he published the "Zouzoukwa" sticker apps on Google Play Store and App Store so that people could use his emojis as stickers in WhatsApp and iMessage.[7]
References
- ^ "This 21-year-old Ivorian has created over 350 downloadable African emojis". www.pulse.ng. October 24, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
- ^ "Les émojis africains Zouzoukwa disponibles sur Playstore | Life Magazine" (in French). Retrieved November 3, 2019.
- ^ Turcan, Marie (January 11, 2018). "Chaque jour, cet artiste ivoirien crée un nouvel emoji issu de la culture africaine — et on a hâte de pouvoir les utiliser". Business Insider France (in French). Retrieved November 15, 2019.
- ^ "Les « zouzoukwa », des smileys à la sauce ivoirienne" (in French). October 24, 2018. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
- ^ Hierro, Lola (March 1, 2018). "Un emoji africano para cada día del año". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
- ^ "Collab' mode : les tote bags inspirés des émojis africains". www.elle.ci (in Polish). Retrieved November 3, 2019.
- ^ "[Mobile] Les émojis africains "Zouzoukwa" enfin dans nos téléphones !". Ayanawebzine (in French). January 2, 2019. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
External links
- Zouzoukwa on App Store
- Zouzoukwa on Play Store
- O'Plérou's Instagram profile
- Adicom Awards Laureates