Neurath's ISOTYPE: words divide, pictures unite

by gabriela on 14/02/2011

The universal language of love? How about the universal language of pictograms?

Javier Cañada talked about the ISOTYPE (International System of Typographic Picture Education) project in 2002. It’s hightime we made reference to it again. The project was created by Otto Neurath and designed by Gerd Arntz and is believed to be the base upon which the AIGA was built on.

Neurath recognised something crucial to the theory of communication, through creating icons of objectivity. Since a considerable part of the information to which an individual is exposed is optically processed, as Gestalt Theory and perceptual psychology were able to demonstrate at the end of the 19th century, it can be conclusive that information must be visualised or data must be transformed into pictures in order to be perceived at all.

Frank Hartmann

A new book on Arntz was edited last year by designers Ed Annink and Max Bruinsma. If you’re lucky enough to be in London before March, don’t forget to check out the exhibition on ISOTYPE at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

If you want to read more, Neurath’s book International Picture Language is a good start.

UPDATE (12 Feb, 2011)
Katie Treggiden, from ‘Confessions of a design geek’, has a great account of the V&A exhibit, with a bit more insight about the history of the ISOTYPE project and pictures of the exhibition.

There are 3 comments in this article:

  1. 20/02/2011out and about :: isotype | confessions of a design geek says:

    [...] Neurath’s ISOTYPE, how words divide and pictures unite (vostok.es) [...]

  2. 21/02/2011Irene says:

    Iconos que unen contando una unión, muy chulo!

  3. 29/03/2011Gerd Arntz y el isotipo | Anónimo con nombre says:

    [...] Cotilleando el blog de Vostok, me encuentro con la entrada Neurath’s ISOTYPE: words divide, pictures unite, en la que también hablan sobre los isotipos de Gerd Arntz, aunque ellos con motivo del [...]

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