While not purely "pictures," it uses vivid mental imagery.
Understanding Through Pictures: Is the "1000 Kanji PDF" Your Shortcut to Literacy? While not purely "pictures," it uses vivid mental imagery
By associating a complex character (like 木 for tree) with an actual drawing of a tree, your brain creates a "hook." While not purely "pictures
Even with pictures, you need to know how to write it correctly. Onyomi and Kunyomi: The Chinese and Japanese readings. While not purely "pictures," it uses vivid mental imagery
It is much easier to remember a story about a "sun" and a "moon" coming together to create "brightness" (明) than it is to memorize random strokes.