Week 4 Reading: Isotype

Formerly known as The Vienna Method of Pictorial Statistics, Isotype was invented by Otto Neurath (1882-1945) and his team in the first few decades of the twentieth century (Janson, W. 2009). Neurath was an economist whom believed strongly in statistics and the interoperation of information (Burke, C. 2009). Thus Neurath’s aim became to produce clear pictograms that could be easily conveyed regardless of ones educational background.

During the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century there was a strong emphasis on cultural and educational projects. In the 1940s and 50s Isotype was employed within countries like the Netherlands, Great Britain, Greece, the USA (Janson, W. 2009). However the work of Neurath and his team has had a lasting impression within the realm of art and design in contemporary society. In 2008 artists Alice Creischer and Andreas Siekmann worked at the University of Lüneburg transforming 1930 Isotype maps into modern designs (Janson, W. 2009). One of their major projects was in 2008 whereby Creisher and Siekmann created a map of Dubai for urban development. As such Isotype and the idea of pictograms is still used today to represent graphical statistics but also has been developed to new areas such as architecture.

“Words divide, pictures unite” (Burke, C. 2009. p.g 2) was how Neurath described the importance of Isotype. It explains that while words cannot always be understood by every individual based on social differences like education level or language, pictures easily depict meaning. Therefore while Neurath’s contribution to visual communication is extraordinary, he has also defied social barriers and assisted in globalising the world.

By Chelsea Buswell.

References: