Olympic Games Pictograms from Tokyo 1964

I came across these pictograms created for the summer games in Tokyo 1964. I think they're great looking. They are so simple but in some way represent the design style of the period. Here is some more information about the history behind these pictograms in specific...

The first systematically designed set of pictograms for both sports and services was created for the Games in Tokyo in 1964 by Masasa Katzumie as artistic director and Yoshiro Yamashita as graphic designer.

Concept of the pictograms and their use:

Pictograms have been part of Olympic design programs since they were first introduced at the 1964 Tokyo Games. The stylized figures easily communicate information to visitors and participants who have diverse language and cultural backgrounds.


The Tokyo project included the design of 20 pictograms for the different sports and a further 39 general information pictograms.


New pictograms were disigned for Mexico in 1968, Munich in 1972 and Moscow in 1980.
Montreal chose the use the Munich pictograms. The LAOOC first inquired about the purchase rights of the pictograms used at Munich and later Montreal, but found the price to be higher than the costs of commissioning new pictograms and chose instead to sponsor a competition.

*Previously: Tokyo 2016 Unveils Official Bid Logo