The Transformer
Principles of Making Isotype Charts

Chronicle Books
Available: 12/01/08
5.11 x 8.23 · 126 pages
9780907259404
CDN $35.00
· pb
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Isotype (International System of Typographic Picture Education) is a system of pictograms designed to communicate complex information in a nonverbal way. Developed in 1936 by a team of sociologists lead by Otto and Marie Neurath, this process of transforming" data into visual form has strongly influenced the fields of graphic design. The Transformer: Principles of Making Isotype Charts is the first English-language primer on Isotypethe foundation of the modern-day pictographic signals found in airports, train stations, highway signs, and computer interfaces. Featuring illustrated examples and essays, including a previously unpublished essay by Marie Neurath, The Transformer is a long-overdue appreciation of an important moment in the history of visual communication."
Robin Kinross is Publisher of Hyphen Press. He lives in London.