Tokyo 2020/Pictograms

Emblems • Assets • Look of the Games • Pictograms • Medals • Torch Relays • Other

On 12 March 2019, 500 days before the originally-planned opening of the Olympic Games, the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games unveiled the official pictograms for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.^[1] Likewise, the Paralympic pictograms were unveiled on 13 April, 500 days before the original Paralympic Games opening. The pictograms were created by graphic designer Masaaki Hiromura of Aichi Prefecture, who specialises in the area of corporate identity and wayfinding materials for museums, commercial facilities and street signage.

Designer:

Masaaki Hiromura

Typography:

None

Launched:

Unknown

The pictograms were inspired by those of Tokyo 1964; the first Olympic Games held in Japan and Asia. These games were the first to implement a visual system to aid visitors with navigating the city and finding events, particularly foreigners with a limited grasp of the Japanese language. The 1964 pictograms were constructed from straight lines and circular forms. The pictograms for 2020 build upon this approach by adding "the vibrancy and fluidity of athlete's movements". When the pictograms are shown as smaller icons, they are placed in a circular container, a style they refer to as "frame type". In all other instances, the container is absent; a style they dubbed "Free type".

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sports Pictograms

Concept video of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 sport pictograms

Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Sports Pictograms

Concept video of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic pictograms

There are 50 unique pictograms for the 33 sports to be contested at the Olympics. The Paralympic set contains 23 individual pictograms, one for each sport. The primary difference between the sets is that the Paralympic pictograms contain finer details, such as prosthetics, wheelchairs and alternative posturing of the figures. This helps to better represent the athletes of the Paralympics and more accurately reflect the nature of Paralympic sports.

On 26 February 2020, a new type of kinetic pictogram made for digital displays was showcased on the games' social media channels.^[2] These variations have ingoing and outgoing animations, and are likely to be featured predominantly in the games' on-air presentation. The type was applied to all 73 individual Olympic and Paralympic pictograms.

At the Olympic Opening Ceremony on 23 July 2021, a segment was devoted to the heritage and impact of Olympic pictograms. The segment opens with an illustrated retelling of the 1964 pictograms' conception and a retrospective of pictograms in the games afterwards. This culminated in a skit where three performers dressed as the pictogram figure reenacted the 50 Olympic pictograms for these games to music. The act was lauded as a highlight of the ceremony.