Pictograms: Iconic Japanese Designs

About

Pictograms are everywhere. From street signs and text messages to toilet doors and maps, they have transformed global travel, removing barriers by creating a universal visual language. This exhibition demonstrates how the beauty and precision of Japanese design has shaped the art of visual communication. 

Japan has played an integral role in the development of pictograms. The renowned design agency Nippon Design Center set an early standard with the sporting pictograms they created for the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games, while people often unknowingly use a Japanese word – ‘emoji’ – to talk about digital pictograms. 

From ancient Egyptian tomb carvings to a set of over 600 symbols designed to help visitors navigate contemporary Japan, this exhibition traces the evolution, power and future potential of these universal signs, while exploring the process of how they are designed. 

Visitors are invited to create their own unique symbol from a selection of component pieces and to become a part of a pictogram themselves, by standing under a 2.5-metre torii shrine gate, sizing up to a sumo wrestler or even taking the controls of a Japanese train. The exhibition also offers the first chance to see selected pictograms designed by young people from the UK, who were invited to represent ‘their London’ in graphic form. 

Visit Japan House London for a masterclass in the simplicity of communicating without words.