15/05/2026
✶你每天都能看到的小綠人「皮特托先生」，背後有段重要的公共安全故事✶
1970 年代，日本接連發生兩起驚人的百貨火災——1972 年大阪千日百貨造成 118 人罹難，、1973 年熊本大洋百貨又奪走 104 條生命。
事故調查指出：那時的出口標示只有「EXIT」或「出口」小字，尺寸小、可視性差，一旦濃煙瀰漫又陷入恐慌，人往往離出口只差幾步，為了徹底改善這個致命問題，日本消防安全協會在 1978 年舉辦「逃生出口設計大賽」，小谷松敏文提出了「跑向出口的人」——不用讀字、不靠語言，只要一眼就能理解「往這裡逃！」
後來，多摩美術大學教授太田幸夫把原作進一步調整：他弱化緊張的奔跑姿勢、整理比例，讓圖示在緊急狀態下更冷靜、更易辨識，再加上平面設計大師勝井三雄的推動，這套符號被正式導入全日本的公共場所，也成為我們現在熟悉的「小綠人＋門＋方向」的完整系統。
✶ 為什麼是綠色？
火災現場的火光以紅橘色為主，紅色容易被淹沒或混淆；綠色在煙霧中反而更醒目，同時也具備「安全、通行、可以前進」的心理暗示——在混亂中給人最直接的方向感。
1982 年，日本全國開始統一使用這套標示。
1987 年，ISO 正式採納，從此成為全球通用的逃生符號。
小綠人不是單純的指示牌，而是公共安全設計的里程碑，也是國際符號系統成功標準化的經典案例。
✶ The little green man you see every day—“Mr. Pittato”—carries an important story of public safety design. ✶
In the 1970s, Japan was struck by two devastating department-store fires:
— the 1972 Sennichi Department Store fire in Osaka, which claimed 118 lives, and
— the 1973 Taiyo Department Store fire in Kumamoto, where 104 people were killed.
Investigations revealed a critical issue: emergency exits at the time were marked only by small “EXIT” or “出口” text. The lettering was tiny, visibility was poor, and in thick smoke and panic, people often collapsed just steps away from the escape route.
To solve this deadly problem once and for all, the Japan Fire Protection Association held an Emergency Exit Sign Design Competition in 1978.
Designer Toshifumi Kitanomatsu submitted the idea of a “person running toward an exit”—a symbol that required no reading and no language. Anyone could instantly understand: “Escape this way.”
Later, Tama Art University professor Yukio Ota refined the original design.
He softened the tense running posture, adjusted the proportions, and made the figure calmer and more recognizable under emergency conditions. With the advocacy of renowned graphic designer Mitsuo Katsui, the symbol was officially adopted across Japan, evolving into the complete system we know today: the green running figure + doorway + directional arrows.
✶ Why green?
In a fire, the environment is dominated by red and orange flames—red signage can easily be lost or confused. Green remains highly visible through smoke and also carries a universal psychological cue of “safety, permission, proceed.”
It gives people an immediate sense of where to go in chaos.
— 1982: Japan standardized the system nationwide.
— 1987: ISO officially adopted the symbol, making it the global standard for emergency exit signage.
The little green man is far more than a sign—he represents a milestone in public safety design and a classic example of successful international symbol standardization.
素蘊光譜 / Spectrum in Essence
2026 ICWVCD 視覺傳達設計國際研討會暨工作營、中華民國基礎造形學會研討會
2026 ICWVCD International Conference and Workshop of the Visual Communication Design, Taiwan Society of Basic Design and Art Conference
✶文編/Content Editor
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#素蘊光譜 #研討會 #中華民國基礎造形學會 #雲科視傳
