New Exhibition at Japan House London – Pictograms: Iconic Japanese Designs
Japan House London launched its new exhibition, ‘Pictograms: Iconic Japanese Designs’ on the 30th July 2025. The exhibition delves deep into how pictograms have removed language barriers around the globe by creating a unique visual language everyone can easily understand.
Daikoku Daigo, Art Director and Graphic Designer at Nippon Design Centre (left) and Simon Wright Director of Programming, Japan House London (right)
Photo: Urban Adventurer
We went to the press preview of the exhibition where we had the opportunity to meet Art Director and Graphic Designer at Nippon Design Centre, Daikoku Daigo who gave us a deeper insight into how Japan has played an important role in development of this word-free global language and we learnt the step-by-step creation of pictograms.
@urbanadventurerldn [BLOG POST IN BIO] New exhibition at Japan House London 𝙋𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙢𝙨: 𝙄𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙘 𝙅𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝘿𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙨 🚻💟📳🈴 The exhibition delves deep into how pictograms have removed language barriers around the globe by creating a unique visual language everyone can easily understand 🛄♿️ The exhibition has been created in co-operation with Nippon Design Centre (NDC), a global design agency known for creating the first full set of sporting pictograms for the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games. The pictograms later became the international standard for sporting events 🏊🏻♀️🚴🤺🏋️♀️ You can create your own pictogram at a lit up table or even be part of them by taking a selfie with one of the giant 3D pictograms! Pose under a Torii gate ⛩️ or next a sumo wrestler 🤼♂️ or take control of a giant pictogram train 🚆 📍 Japan House London | 101-111 Kensington High St, London W8 5SA (Closest station High Street Kensington) 📆 30th July – 9th November 2025 🎟️ FREE admission #japanhouselondon #pictogramas #japaneseculture #newexhibition #japanese #japan #CapCut
♬ Calm and soft gentle background(1632087) – Art Music Style
A Visual Language Understood by Everyone
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Whether we realise or not, we are guided by pictograms several times a day. Just think about the weather map on your phone, the pictograms on a parcel or even your beer can at the pub.
‘Pictograms: Iconic Japanese Designs’ exhibition has been created in co-operation with Nippon Design Centre (NDC), a global design agency known for creating the first full set of sporting pictograms for the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games. The pictograms later became the international standard for sporting events.
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Did you know that the designing process started 5 years earlier in 1959?
Whilst at the exhibition, make sure you watch the interview with Nagai Kazumasa, graphic designer and advisor at the Nippon Design Centre, who will give you a glimpse into the creation of the famous pictogram collection and the challenges the artists faced during the designing process.
Throughout the decades, Nippon Design Centre has been involved in global projects and today has offices in Japan, Europe and North America.
From Cave Paintings to Emoji
Photo: Urban Adventurer
The exhibition delves deep into the history of visual communication, starting from 15,000 years old cave paintings made by early humans, to Egyptian hieroglyphs, to the Lascaux murals in France to today’s digital pictograms, the emoji.
As we can see, visual communication goes back to the earliest times of human history and is present till this day.
Pictograms are used everywhere from travel to tourist hot spots and maps to street signs to products labels and toilets. Pictograms – in fact – have become a critical role in global tourism and many other areas, making our everyday lives easier.
How travel signs would look like without pictograms
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Now, stop for a second and imagine a life without pictograms. Imagine how our lives would be without those simple little symbols. Without pictograms, we would have to read long texts displayed on boards at airports and stations and may even miss our trains because of that.
Japan’s Pioneering Role in Pictograms
3D Sumo pictogram
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Pictograms are created to inform and reassure in an easy-to-understand way regardless the language we speak or the country we are in and Japan’s pioneering role in the development of pictograms is undeniable.
Daikoku Daigo, Art Director and Graphic Designer at Nippon Design Centre (left) and Simon Wright Director of Programming, Japan House London (right)
Photo: Urban Adventurer
“When you see pictograms, you naturally understand where to go or how to use something, creating a sense of both security and freedom of movement. They are a ‘friendly point of contact’ between space and society.” – Daikoku Daigo, Art Director and Graphic Designer at Nippon Design Centre explains.
Photo: Urban Adventurer
The 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games was the first ever Olympic Games held in Asia. Visitors and athletes were expected from all over the world, and they needed to be able to navigate in a country whose language they didn’t speak.
That’s why multiple sets of pictograms were designed, helping visitors and athletes to find their way around Tokyo, and to be able to identify the different sports on the programme.
Nippon Design Centre have set up the standards for sporting pictograms that later were used all over the world.
Did you know that the word ‘emoji’ we use for digital pictograms also comes from Japan?
Letter ‘e’ means ‘picture’ and ‘moji’ means ‘character’. Emoji has been used to describe digital picograms from the 1990s.
Understanding the Essence of the Subject
Mind map for an apple
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Believe it or not, creating pictograms is a very complex process.
The artist needs to understand the core essence of the subject they want to work with. – explains Daikoku.
Let’s take an apple, for example. As the first step, the artist creates a mind map to visualise all the things an apple is connected with. They include colours and shapes, but also biblical meaning, like the forbidden apple in the Garden of Eden.
The artist has to keep in mind what essential information the pictogram needs to carry. The artist also needs to consider the size of the pictogram: will the pictogram be used in small scale or bigger scale? If the pictogram will be used in small scale, the designer eliminates all unnecessary details and elements to create a clear, easy-to-understand design that delivers harmony.
Photo: Urban Adventurer
If the pictogram represents a person and captures movement, such as walking or swimming, the movement will be broken down to frames (similarly to motion picture) and the artist needs to identify that one particular move that captures the essence of the action.
Create Your Own Pictogram | Be a Pictogram
Photo: Urban Adventurer
‘Pictograms: Iconic Japanese Designs’ has two fun interactive sections allowing visitors to create their own pictogram or even be part of one themselves.
You can create your own pictogram using a selection of elements and components provided. Select any elements you like, choose a theme and create your very own pictogram representing anything you like on the lit up table.
Create your own pictogram – interactive table
Photo: Urban Adventurer
You can even be part of a giant 2.5 metre tall pictogram by standing under a Torii gate sizing up to a sumo wrestler or taking control of a Japanese train.
London as a Pictogram
Photo: Urban Adventurer
As part of the exhibition, Japan House London ran a design competition among primary and secondary school pupils in collaboration with The Japan Society.
‘My Design’ program invited pupils to design their own pictogram representing a specific aspect of London important to them. The winning designs are featured as part of the exhibition.
About Japan House London
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Located in the heart of Kensington, Japan House London is the cultural home of Japan in the UK representing the very best of Japanese art, design, innovation, technology, and – with a lovely small café on the ground floor and a theatre cooking restaurant, called ‘AKIRA’ on the first floor – gastronomy.
Japan House London regularly hosts free exhibitions, workshops, talks, demonstrations, and screenings.
There are two other Japan Houses in the world: one in Los Angeles and one in São Paulo.
Shop
Photo: Urban Adventurer
Make sure you visit Japan House London’s shop where you can find not only exclusive exhibition-related products, but also Sake, stationery, artworks, kitchenware, handmade jewellery, books and more. All in the highest quality and straight from Japan.
Planning a holiday in Japan?
Why not visit Japan House London’s Travel Information Area on the ground floor? The Travel Information Area is run by the Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO). They can provide free guidance and recommendations on what to visit and when and provide additional materials, such as brochures to help planning your journey.
Practical Info
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Address
Japan House London | 101-111 Kensington High St, London W8 5SA
(Closest station High Street Kensington)
Opening Times
30th July – 9th November 2025
Mon – Sat: 10am – 8pm
Sun & Bank Holidays: 12pm – 6pm
Tickets
Admission is FREE | Booking a time slot is recommended
You can book your time slot on Japan House London’s official website
Ready for your next adventure? Enigmatic Japanese author, Uketsu’s new book, ‘Strange Houses’ is now available to purchase in the UK. We went to the press event hosted by Pushkin Press where we tried themed cocktails and ‘Strange Sushi’.