In graphic design and sociology, Isotype (possibly an acronym for International System of Typographic Picture Education) is a system of pictograms designed by the Austrian educator and philosopher Otto Neurath and the illustrator Gerd Arntz to communicate information in a simple, non-linguistic way. This article does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Backronym and Apronym (Discuss) Acronyms and initialisms are abbreviations, such as NATO, laser, and ABC, written as the initial letter or letters of words, and pronounced on the basis of this abbreviated written form. ... Pictogram for public toilets A pictogram or pictograph is a symbol which represents an object or a concept by illustration. ... Otto Neurath (December 10, 1882-December 22, 1945) was an Austrian sociologist, political economist, and an unorthodox Marxist. ... Gerd Arntz was a German Modernist artist and communist, famous for his black and white woodcuts. ... The term natural language is used to distinguish languages spoken and signed (by hand signals and facial expressions) by humans for general-purpose communication from constructs such as writing, computer-programming languages or the languages used in the study of formal logic, especially mathematical logic. ...

Neurath originally intended Isotype to be used by educators of young children, but it wound up instead heavily influencing modern public signage and information graphics. Visually, it owes a lot to a clean-lines, 1920s realist/deco aesthetic. In 'a picture speaks a thousand words' kind of a way, Isotype was developed as a way of conveying quantitative information with social consequences — the availability of bread and sugar, the manpower involved in constructing automobiles, in different countries. Isotype may have some common ground in intentions with Buckminster Fuller's Geoscope. The Washington Metro subway map Information graphics or infographics are visual representations of information, data or knowledge. ... The 1920s is a decade that is sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or the Roaring Twenties, usually applied to America. ... Realists render everyday characters, situations, dilemmas, and objects, all in an true-to-life manner. ... Asheville City Hall. ... Aesthetics (or esthetics) (from the Greek word αισθητική) is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty. ... Richard Buckminster “Bucky” Fuller (July 12, 1895 – July 1, 1983)[1] was an American visionary, designer, architect, poet, author, and inventor. ...

Neurath founded the Isotype Institute with his spouse Marie Reidemeister.

Isotypes are small pictures and can be of various colours. If you zoom into the pictures, you tend to find microscopic phallic images with golden bell ends. Children like these because they are attractive

External links

• From Hieroglyphs to Isotypes