Explore Japan Again With Free Pictograms That Minimally Capture Its Experiences
Image via Experience Japan Pictograms
Your dreams of traveling to Japan aren’t as attainable right now, but the Nippon Design Center is convinced that you can still experience the nation’s culture and thoughtful minimalism with its collection of pictograms.
Tourism numbers have fallen over 95 percent, but this dismal statistic doesn’t reflect travelers’ love for the country. Since everybody is stuck at home, graphic designer Kenya Hara and his design firm, the Nippon Design Center, hope to rethink tourism “from a visual design perspective.” They’ve rolled out 250 simple and legible Experience Japan Pictograms that invite wanderlusters to enjoy a “second encounter with Japan” with fresh eyes.
The icons, free to download and use for both personal and commercial purposes, are simple yet intricate. The creation of each graphic—whether depicting Kabuki performances, sumo fighters, ramen noodles, or Mt Fuji—takes careful contemplation of shapes, forms, and legibility so as to translate flexibly across diverse formats and colors. They allow you to “enjoy Japan a little deeper than before.” After all, this is the Land of the Rising Sun, the home of emoji and pictogram-influenced kanji.
Alongside the pictograms, visual tourists can find out more about the respective objects, foods, activities, or places with brief descriptions on the website. Find out more about the project here.
Image via Experience Japan Pictograms
Image via Experience Japan Pictograms
Image via Experience Japan Pictograms
Click to view enlarged version
Click to view enlarged version. Image via Experience Japan Pictograms
[via Open Culture and Spoon & Tamago, images via Experience Japan Pictograms]
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