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Isotype is a way of showing social and economic data with rows of small repeated pictures, so that people can understand it across languages and levels of schooling. It was developed in 1920s Vienna by Otto Neurath, Marie Reidemeister (later Marie Neurath) and the graphic artist Gerd Arntz.

Isotype picture language

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The story behind the card

Isotype stands for International System of Typographic Picture Education. Otto Neurath developed it in 1920s Vienna at the Social and Economic Museum, aiming to let ordinary readers, including people with little schooling, compare social and economic data at a glance. Its central rule was to never resize a single icon to show a bigger quantity; instead, a larger number was shown by repeating the same small icon more times, so a reader could count as well as compare. After Austria's political turmoil forced Neurath to flee in 1934, he continued the project first in the Netherlands and later in England. The approach's descendants are visible today in transport maps, road signs and the small repeated icons used in modern infographics.

Türkçe oku
Isotype, toplumsal ve ekonomik verileri yan yana dizilmiş, tekrar eden küçük resimlerle anlatan bir görsel sistemdir; amacı, dili ya da eğitimi ne olursa olsun herkesin bu verileri anlayabilmesiydi. Sistemi 1920'lerin Viyana'sında Otto Neurath, sonradan Neurath soyadını alan Marie Reidemeister ve grafik sanatçısı Gerd Arntz geliştirdi.

Isotype adı, İngilizce “International System of Typographic Picture Education” (Uluslararası Tipografik Resimli Eğitim Sistemi) sözlerinin kısaltmasıdır. Otto Neurath sistemi 1920'lerde Viyana'daki Toplum ve Ekonomi Müzesi'nde geliştirdi; amacı, az okumuş insanlar dahil herkesin toplumsal ve ekonomik verileri bir bakışta karşılaştırabilmesiydi. Temel kural basitti: daha büyük bir miktarı göstermek için simge büyütülmez, aynı küçük simge daha çok kez yinelenir. Böylece okuyucu hem sayabilir hem karşılaştırabilir. Avusturya'daki siyasi çalkantı Neurath'ı 1934'te ülkeden ayrılmak zorunda bırakınca çalışmalarını önce Hollanda'da, sonra İngiltere'de sürdürdü. Bu yaklaşımın izleri bugün toplu taşıma haritalarında, trafik işaretlerinde ve infografiklerdeki tekrar eden küçük simgelerde görülüyor.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Isotype (picture language)
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