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Is it appropriate to use punctuation in the vicinity of smiley faces?
For example :), does the comma look like a chin here?
I'm really confused :(...

Sometimes I feel that surrounding punctuation undermines the legibility of those symbols but on the other hand they should ideally be treated as full words.

:(...

That's what I look like when I watch beach volleyball.

*(|:o))

-=®=-

Great question :)

I guess no one ever get to question this, cos smileys aren't really used in what you might call formal texts, so book typographers are probably never confronted with this question. And I wonder how many people design their emails and blog posts (If you'll find them anywhere, it's probably here...) Anyway, as smileys are made of punctuation, it's unavoidable that there are some conflicts there. I just try to integrate them somehow (like this :) ) Just try to have fun with it and make up your own rules, cos there is no rulebook yet (though there might be one someday, image that: A corporate identity manual regarding the use of smileys in documents) LOL

=:~P

cheerio Queneau

:-?

That's me smoking my pipe.

Looks more like a cigarette to me, frodo frank... |-)

cheerio Queneau

And how does one end parenthetical statements with emoticons?

8|

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

...from the Fontry

Queneau

I'm open for suggestions!

Because I know we're going to end up here anyway…

wohhow, that Chris.com stuff is neat.

@frode frank

Ceci n'est pas une pipe ;)

cheerio Queneau

Love the image! Google search.