A design office has produced a humorous series of infographics to promote social distancing, including one that references the iconic cover of The Beatles' "Abbey Road" album with the slogan, "Let's stay one Beatles apart."

The images, which also include two kneeling samurai facing each other across a single tatami (which average about 2 meters long), have been widely shared on social media around the world.

"Using creative designs, we have been able to widely disseminate information that can protect human lives" amid the coronavirus pandemic, said Eisuke Tachikawa, president of Nosigner, based in Yokohama.

"It's truly the happiest thing for those who made" the images, he said.

Nosigner manages a website called Pandaid to disseminate useful information to cope with COVID-19 through infographics and other content.

They set out to choose themes that are highly recognizable and which will make people sit up and take notice, Tachikawa said.

"Abbey Road," released in 1969, shows John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney and George Harrison walking in a line across a London zebra crossing. According to the Pandaid infographic, there was roughly a 2-meter distance between Lennon, who was at the front of the line, and Harrison, at the back.

Pandaid says it aims to produce content "that is easy for people to understand intuitively," and the co-editable website has attracted more than 100 volunteers with a variety of expertise.