Pictograms: Iconic Japanese Designs explores how Japan has shaped the global use of pictograms as a universal visual language. Used daily in transportation, technology, and public spaces, pictograms communicate across cultures through clarity and simplicity. The exhibition highlights Japan’s design tradition, focused on precision, balance, and refinement, and its lasting influence on visual communication worldwide.

Curated and designed by NDC under the artistic direction of Daikoku Daigo, the exhibition at JAPAN HOUSE explores the underlying creative process within pictograms and highlights the crucial role they play in facilitating our lives. Presentations unfoldover four main thematic zones and a visitor participation experience. The first zone addresses the question, “What are Pictograms?”—while the second traces the fascinating history of pictograms and their connections to Japan. In the third zone, visitors are guided through the methods and tools NDC designers employ to achieve peak communicative effectiveness, and in the fourth, amusing installations invite reimagining what pictograms can be, moving beyond flat graphics to engage their creative potential in three-dimensional and interactive forms. A unique addition to this zone is the “My LA Pictogram” project, where selections from student submissions from Los Angeles and beyond capture their vision of L.A. through original pictogram designs.

We hope visitors will be inspired to think creatively about the pictograms that permeate their surroundings, and channel the elements of Japanese design shared in the exhibition to craft their own pictogram at our “pictogram studio,” perhaps celebrating an important aspect of their lives or representing their favorite part of Los Angeles.

Running from February 12, 2026 – May 3, 2026