Curator’s Talk | Pictograms Exhibition

To celebrate the opening of , join us for a behind-the-scenes look at this groundbreaking exhibition on the art of visual communication. In a lively design dialogue, exhibition curator Daigo Daikoku, CEO and Art Director of Nippon Design Center (NDC) USA, will be joined by Julia Huang, founder and CEO of Intertrend Communications and chair of the Arts and Cultural Committee for the Long Beach 2028 Olympic Games, for a conversation about the creative process, cultural roots, and global reach of pictogram design.

The pictogram story begins at the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games, where designers at the Nippon Design Center faced a unique challenge: how to guide visitors from around the world during the first Olympics ever held in Asia. Their solution was a set of refined symbols that established a universal visual language that still guides global wayfinding today, and inspired the wide-ranging exhibition now on view.

For this talk, art director Daikoku will introduce NDC, the Olympic legacy of pictograms, and his own illustrious career in design. Particular projects featured in the exhibition, including the recent “Experience Japan Pictograms” initiative re-imagining pictograms for today’s global travelers, will also be unpacked to show how Daikoku and his team create these visual tools to help Japanese institutions, small towns, businesses, and government entities communicate information visually while representing cultural customs and traditions. Together, Daikoku and Huang will also explore design's role in cultural storytelling and global communication - from the symbols that guide us through airports and stadiums to the visual challenges and opportunities ahead as Los Angeles steps onto the world's stage.

With the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics having just reached an exciting conclusion, the FIFA World Cup 2026 arriving in Los Angeles this summer, and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics on the horizon, there has never been a better time to discover the past, present, and future of this groundbreaking graphic form from one of its most notable creative luminaries.

Perfect for design enthusiasts, art lovers, and Olympic fans alike, this evening is the ideal way to explore the iconic people and ideas behind the exhibition, and spark your curiosity for whenever you plan your visit.

After graduating from Kanazawa College of Art in 2003, Daigo Daikoku began working at Nippon Design Center (NDC) under Kenya Hara. In 2011, he founded his own in-house design studio at NDC, and leads many creative projects for cultural, corporate, and educational clients. He currently serves as a Board Member at NDC and manages the company’s strategic planning, as well as leading NDC’s US branch in LA as CEO (NDCLA).Daikoku has extensive experience working across many fields of design, including brand identity, advertising, spatial, and experiential projects. His work is notable for its consistent focus on simple, clear, and bold design. Daikoku’s ability to blend traditional Japanese aesthetics with a global perspective allows him to bring Japan’s design heritage to audiences around the world.

Julia Y.C. Huang is a Taiwanese American entrepreneur and cultural leader, and the Founder and CEO of Intertrend, one of Los Angeles’s top creative agencies specializing in multicultural storytelling. Educated in both Japan and Taiwan, her global upbringing has shaped a career rooted in design, culture, and the belief that diversity fuels creativity.

Huang has been recognized as one of the 500 Most Influential Asian Americans and named one of Fortune’s Top Ten Entrepreneurs in the United States. Under her leadership, Intertrend consistently ranks among the Top Female-Owned Businesses in Los Angeles and has earned numerous industry honors.

Deeply engaged in arts, media, and civic life, Huang is a founding force behind Long Beach Walls (formerly POW! WOW! Long Beach), co-founder of the globally touring exhibition Architecture for Dogs with renowned Japanese designer Kenya Hara and also created the award-winning Art of Bloom with Daigo Daikoku. She serves on the boards of KCRW/NPR, Long Beach Public Library, the Long Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Long Beach Economic Development, and currently chairs the Arts and Cultural Committee for the 2028 Olympic Games in Long Beach.

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.

Dates: Thu February 12, 2026 – Sun May 3, 2026

Times: (Mon-Fri) 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM (Sat-Sun) 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM

Location: JAPAN HOUSE Gallery, Level 2

Fee: Free

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