A groundbreaking new exhibition at Japan House London is examining the powerful role that pictograms play in transcending linguistic and cultural barriers in our increasingly connected world. The exhibition, titled "Pictograms: Iconic Japanese Designs," opened today and runs through November 9, 2025, offering visitors an in-depth look at Japan's significant contributions to the development of visual communication systems.
Created in collaboration with the prestigious Tokyo-based Nippon Design Center, the exhibition investigates the integral yet often overlooked role that graphic signage plays in our daily lives. The show presents these visual symbols against a stark white backdrop, creating a clean, museum-like environment that allows visitors to focus entirely on the power and simplicity of pictographic communication.
Pictograms are graphic symbols that represent objects, actions, or concepts in a clear and simple visual style. These symbols have become ubiquitous in modern life, appearing everywhere from road signs and airport terminals to digital interfaces and mobile devices as emojis. The exhibition begins with a striking display of black-and-white lightboxes that contrast pictograms typically found in airport terminals with the lengthy written explanations that would be required to communicate the same information without visual symbols.
"Imagine a world without pictograms," said Simon Wright, Japan House London's director of programming, during a recent tour of the gallery. "Here, we have examples of how the symbols enable us to understand the world more quickly and easily." This opening section immediately demonstrates to visitors the efficiency and universal appeal of well-designed pictographic systems.
A central highlight of the exhibition focuses on the iconic pictograms designed to represent different athletic disciplines at the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games. This groundbreaking set of symbols marked the first systematically designed collection of Olympic pictograms in history. The designers conceived these symbols specifically to connect with both Japanese and international visitors during what Wright describes as a "defining time" in Japan's history and its international perception following World War II.
According to Wright, "Pictograms can transcend linguistic and cultural barriers," making them an ideal communication tool for international events like the Olympics. The 1964 Olympic pictograms established a new standard for visual communication in sports and helped cement Japan's reputation as a leader in design innovation.
The exhibition also showcases the animated pictograms created for each sporting event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, demonstrating how these visual communication systems have evolved and adapted as technology has advanced. These animated versions brought movement and personality to the traditional static symbols, showing how pictograms continue to innovate while maintaining their core function of clear, immediate communication.
Visitors can walk among three-dimensional models of various pictograms, experiencing these symbols in a new spatial context that highlights the different ways these designs can be brought to life beyond their typical two-dimensional applications. This interactive element allows guests to engage with pictograms as sculptural objects, emphasizing their artistic as well as functional value.
One of the most comprehensive displays features a large-scale diagram showing more than 600 national pictograms from the Experience Japan Pictograms database, which was created in 2019 specifically to help tourists navigate the country "with a touch of humor." This extensive collection includes distinctly Japanese cultural symbols such as depictions of sumo wrestlers, soba beans, and specific markers for particular shrines, rivers, and sand dunes found throughout Japan.
Wright notes an important distinction in pictogram design: "Even though pictograms are intended to be universal, and they are a universal language, there may be cultural specifics and cultural differences." He explains that while some symbols are truly universal – pointing to the gallery's emergency exit sign as an example of something "we probably take for granted and are there to be understood by everybody" – designers must consider that "a symbol can be culturally specific."
This cultural specificity is evident throughout the Japanese examples in the exhibition, which demonstrate how pictograms can communicate not just basic information but also cultural nuances and local knowledge. The exhibition features both two-dimensional and three-dimensional representations of culturally specific symbols like sumo wrestlers, showing how these images work both as functional signage and as cultural ambassadors.
Another fascinating section of the exhibition is dedicated to the digital revolution in pictographic communication, featuring the first set of 176 emojis created in 1999 for the Japanese mobile internet service i-mode. This groundbreaking collection of digital pictograms has since become part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City, recognizing their significance as both technological innovation and cultural artifacts.
The exhibition also explores the remarkable attention to detail that characterizes Japanese pictogram design, despite their apparent simplicity. Examples include individual symbols for ten different types of noodles, each carefully differentiated to convey specific information, and subtle variations in train pictograms that show the slightly different nose shapes of different national railway lines. This level of precision demonstrates the sophisticated thinking behind effective pictogram systems.
The three-dimensional models displayed throughout the exhibition represent another significant aspect of the show, highlighting the various ways pictographic symbols can be translated into physical space and brought to life beyond their traditional flat applications. These sculptural interpretations demonstrate the versatility and enduring appeal of well-designed pictographic systems.
Japan House London, located at 101-111 Kensington High Street, has previously mounted exhibitions exploring other aspects of Japanese design and culture, including shows focused on traditional carpentry craftsmanship and the hyperrealistic food replicas for which Japan has become internationally famous.
The "Pictograms: Iconic Japanese Designs" exhibition represents a unique opportunity for visitors to understand and appreciate the sophisticated design thinking behind the visual symbols that guide us through modern life. By examining Japan's particular contributions to this field, the exhibition illuminates both the universal appeal of effective pictographic communication and the cultural specificity that can make certain symbols particularly meaningful or effective within specific contexts.
The exhibition runs from July 30 through November 9, 2025, providing visitors with ample opportunity to explore this comprehensive examination of how simple visual symbols can bridge complex cultural and linguistic divides in our interconnected world.
