LoCoS can be written across three rows. The centre row is for the main message. Symbols in the top row describe the verb below them, and symbols in the bottom row describe the noun above them.
Yukio Ota’s quest raises some interesting questions. Is the experience of reading visual symbols inherently different to reading spelled words? Can visual symbols be as nuanced and expressive as text? Is there a place for a universal language in the age of machine translation? And is a truly universal visual language even possible—or desirable?
To make the case for a truly international accessible language, Chris argues that:
But the potential of LoCoS extends far beyond digital messaging. It could be effective anywhere readability and internationalisation are valuable: highway signs, aircraft safety cards, danger warnings.
We already have symbols to communicate basic messages: ‘no smoking’; ‘fragile’; ‘low battery.’ Imagine an intuitive, international language that could clearly communicate more complex messages.
The grammar of LoCoS could even unify our many symbol sets. The visual language of maps, science, medicine, mathematics, digital media, laundry, recycling, weather forecasting, sports, music and more could become one coherent language with the shared grammar of LoCoS.