World Standards Day poster 2002

About the artist : Professor Yukio Ota

Prof. Yukio Ota is a graphic designer and member of the Japan national delegation to ISO technical committee, ISO/TC 145 Graphical symbols. He is Professor of the Design Department, Tama Art University, and President of Japan Society for Science of Signs, as well as Chair and Director of the Non Profit Organization (NPO) Sign Center.

Born in 1939, Yukio Ota graduated from Tama Art University, and subsequently followed a course at the Venice National Art Institute in Italy. While studying in Italy in 1964, he researched and developed LoCoS, an experimental visual language combining form, sound and expression, and that is easily understandable on an international basis. After serving as assistant professor at Tokyo Zokei University and founding the Pictorial Institute there, he was invited to Munich University in Germany and the National Research Institute of the United States to participate in an international project 'Visualizing Global Interdependencies'. He designed the symbol mark and CI design for the Japanese Government's Ministry of Trade and Industry, and undertook the production of 'The World of Symbol Marks' for the government-sponsored NHK (Nihon Hoso Kyokai - Japanese Broadcasting Association) television programme. He was responsible for the sign-communication designs of Tsukuba Center Building and Hillside Terrace, and created the design for the new emergency exit sign for the Home Affairs Ministry and the safety signs in the workplace for the Japan Industrial and Healthy Association. He developed the design for the national standard safety evacuation area sign under the supervision of the Fire Defense Agency and Information Institute of Disaster Prevention. He developed many other sign and symbol design plans, including the world's first computer animation film design, 'Sharing for Survival,' explaining the ideas and activities of the United Nations University. He founded the Japan Society for the Science of Signs. He delivered a keynote speech entitled "Historical Role and Capability of Visual Language" at the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) international conference.

Prof. Yukio Ota has served as one of Japan's leading members to the ISO committee on graphical symbols since 1980.

Awards:

Numerous prizes and awards, including:

• Gold Medal: Sign Design Association Award's for Sign plan for new facilities of Keio Gijuku Yochisha, Japan;
• Grand Prize: Japanese Ministry of Trade and Commerce's Research for new emergency exit sign design - SDA Award.

Books:

• New Picture Words LoCoS, Kodansha, 1973.
• Symbol as Art (co-author), Keiso Shobo Publishing Co., 1982.
• World of Visual Words - Graphic Symbols (co-author), Japanese Standards Association, 1983.
• A Picture Book of Signs (co-author), Akane Shobo, 1987.
• A Pictorial Book of Signs (five volumes), Akane Shobou, 1987.
• Pictogram Design, Kashiwashobo, 1987
• Sign Communication - Community & Corporate Identity - Environment (co-author), Kasiwashobo, 1989.
• Dictionary of Today's Design (co-author), Heibonsha Ltd., 1992,1993,1994,1995.
• Pictogram Design (popular edition), Kashiwashobo, 1993.
• Visual Interface (co-author), Kyoriitsu, 1993.
• Sign Communication - Community & Corporate Identity - Environment 2 (co-author), Kasiwashobo, 1993.
• A Story of Pictogram, Japan Standards Association, 1993.
• JISHA Safety Signs, Japan Industrial Safety and Health Association, 1995.
• A Story of Pictograms, Japan Standards Association, 1995.
• Encyclopedia of Semiotics (co-author), Kashiwashobo, 2002.
• ISO 'Exit Sign' (ISO 7001) symbol designed by Yukio Ota in 1982

Design concept of the World Standards Day poster:

Individual standards with different colours could be unified into one, acceptable everywhere in the world, by inter-system coordination.