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INTERNATIONAL
PICTURE LANGUAGE
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International Picture LanguageGn Base Paglia) O.Neveats LONDON:
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KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH, TRUBNER & Co., Ltd.
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PSYCHE
‘An Annual Review
of General and Applied PsychologyLIST OF PAGES
British
PAGE
American
‘Tae Question oF AN INTERNATIONAL
Scientific
LANGUAGE :
BOS
International IsoTyrE 4s A HELPING LANGUAGE .
Commercial EDUCATION By THE EYE
‘Tue Carer Ports oF THE IsoTYPE
S88
TRE SIGHS oon eee
“One wnlooked-for development of the hundred
‘years between 2000 and 2100 was the way
in whick PUTTING Sins ToceTHER =.
Basic English became in that short time the common
Tanguage for use between nations... - By 2200 Grovurinc PICTURES WITH OTHER
‘almost everyone was able fo make use of Basic for
Talking and writing.” —H. G. Wells Tames saa &@
Some Spectat Rutes ror NUMBER
Put into Basic from The Shape of Thi
Fact Picrurss . 0.
Amount Pictures 1n THE LANGUAGE
on Gacuerny «0
From DESIGNS IN STONE AND THE
Oxsis Prctus To THE IsoTyPE
ENCYCLOPAEDIA a 104
Some Views ox IsorvPe 2
Warnxcs on Isoryrz sy Oro
Print tm Great Briain by
KL SEVERS, CAMBRIDGE NEURATH AND His INSTITUTES 116NOTE
This book in Basic English is
a first general outline of the questions
in connection with the building up
of the intemational picture Language
‘ISOTYPE’: International System Of
‘TYpographic Picture Education, It will
give some facts about the relation of
ISOTYPE to languages generally, about
some language rules of ISOTYPE, and
about its international value,
We are here giving an idea of the
possible development of this picture
language and the field which may be
covered. ‘The system is now ready to be
used generally in all fields of education--
there is a special need for it at the present
time. The position is this: there are
a number of attempts being made today
to make a fuller use of pictures for
teaching and advertisement, but there is
no connection between these attempts.
Till now no clear-cut selection of good
rules from among those in general use has
7been made. Our book gives such a not only a knowledge of the rules but
selection from the point of view of training in their use. That is why it was
teaching and advertisement—a selection only possible to make a start with such a
which is in harmony with a complete sys- picture language when an organization
tem for an international picture language had been formed in which a group of
Further, till now there has been no persons of different education had been
system for working out such pictures. working together for years, The Govern-
Even geography maps, though based on a ment of Vienna gave birth to such an
fixed system of picture rules, do not get organization in the form of the “ Gesell-
‘as much profit as they might from teaching schafts-und Wirtschaftsmuseum in Wien ”
experience. Maps are dependent for their in the year 1925 (which was in existence
form on the work of men of science and till 1934). More than ten years back
designers—but for putting the two to- pictures made by this group of persons
gether a special expert is needed. This is were put before the public for the
even more important in other fields of first time. From that time on it has been
picture-making. Turning the statements working on the development of the
of science into pictures is frequently a international picture language ISOTYPE.
delicate business, and it is not the work Every new picture is a step forward. A
of a man of science or of a designer. great number of pictures has been pro-
Special attention to this process has duced for a great number of countries.
given birth to the ISOTYPE system. Its The organization for producing teaching
rules are the instruments for putting pictures is now at The Hague. To give a
together the work of science and the work further impulse to these tendencies and to
of design. make clear the new sort of education for
The first step from the statements of which these pictures are a base, a special
science to the pictures has a special international organization hasbeen formed:
name: ‘ transformation.’ For transform- the INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION
ation as for designing—the writing of the FOR THE PROMOTION OF VISUAL
picture language—it is necessary to have EDUCATION BY THE ISOTYPE
8 9 ara|
METHOD (President: M. L. Fleddérus) book, and Miss L. W. Lockhart gave
with its head office at The Hague. special attention to the language side. For
‘A number of persons have given their the kind offer to get out a book on inter-
support to the building up of the system; national picture language I am in debt to
some of them are working together today Mr. C. K. Ogden and The Orthological
as the chief group in the “ MUNDANEUM Institute.
INSTITUTE THE HAGUE”: Marie Orto NeuratH,
Reidemeister, putting material together
and making the ‘ transformations’; Gert INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION
Amtz and Erwin Bernath designing the FOR THE PROMOTION OF
signs and making the pictures; Josef ‘Visvat Epucatioy,
Scheer printing, colouring, and helping 287, Obrechtstraat,
generally. From the very start Josef The Hague, Holland.
Frank has been our regular expert on the
building and organization of museums.
The pictures given here as examples are
very small and in black and red only. The
selection of these ISOTYPE pictures had
to be made with these limiting conditions
in mind. However, these examples will
give an idea of the effect which is possible
with pictures of greater size using a
wider range of colours, and of the sort of
help they give in making clear complex
relations in society and economics, in
biology, the engineering sciences, and a
number of other fields.
Miss Reidemeister gave much help in
putting together the material in this
10THE QUESTION OF AN
INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE
The desire for an international language
is an old one, and it is more than ever in
men’s minds at this time of international
connections in business and science. But
ISOTYPE “debabelization
complex work.
* is a very hard and
The attempt to make one
international language has given us a
parcel of new languages. The best way
International out seems to be the use of instruments
which are, or have become, international.
System For this reason this book is in Basic
Of English, because this international lan-
guage is part of an old language in general
Bay poranhic use.
The question of an international lan-
Picture guage has now become important, There
Education are a number of signs pointing to a great
development of international organization
in the near future—though we are living
a time of warring interests and broken
connections. Any work done on the
question of international languages—
with a view to making a word language, or
2 13a helping picture language—will give business and science, but, with special
support to international developments changes, of picture languages, as inter-
generally. An international language has national instruments. specially designed
to take into account international needs, for education and advertisement. The
and at the same time it has to be as ‘words’ and ‘statements’ of the picture
simple as possible, Ianguage—signs and their order— are not
Every language is complex—even the the same in pictures in a book as they are
simplest. Its store of words and its rules in pictures
on walls, A special organization
make it possible to put a statement into is necessary to make clear certain relations
other words or one group of statements in between them with the smallest possible
the place of another, The words ‘ here’ number of words, Such adjustments to
and ‘now’ may be used in talk, but in a special purposes have to be made in any
book time and place are not common to language.
the writer and the reader, s0 the book has To be good at a language more is needed
to give the points of time and place i than a knowledge of the words and of the
their relation to our general system of rules; the sense of a word and of a group
time and place. Statements are more or of words is different under different con-
less clear-cut; the words used in business ditions. It is an art to get the full effect
and talk are not as complete as they from the words. In the same way it is
might be; when persons are face to face an art to get the full effect from pictures.
it is enough to give an idea of what is in To make a picture is a more responsible
‘one’s mind if one’s hearers are conscious work than to make a statement, because
what the question is. That is the same pictures make a greater effect and have a
even with the language of science. The longer existence. Every ISOTYPE picture
name of the book makes clear its range, is like a part of a great picture book or
and the range makes clear the sense of the ‘encyclopaedia, because all of them have
words. to go together. This is necessary even
All this is trae not only of our normal with the pictures for boys and girls. The
language, and the special instruments of word language of boys and girls is not a
4 13special language but it is not complete.
In the same sense the ISOTYPE language
for a lower form of education is a part of
the ISOTYPE language as a complete ISOTYPE
system in itself.
AS A HELPING LANGUAGE
There are simple picture languages in
which no other sorts of signs are used. In the Far East we see one language for
‘What we have to do with here, however, writing, but a great number of languages
is a picture language which is not able to for talking. We have made one inter-
give the story by itself, but only with the national, picture language (as a helping
help of the words of a normal language. language) into which statements may
be put from all the normal languages of
Where to put your boxes
the earth. We have given it the name
“ISOTYPE.”
A picture language of this sort is
frequently very important and of great
=> use. A man coming into a strange country
without a knowledge of the language is
uncertain where to get his ticket at the
station or the harbour, where to put his
boxes (see Picture 1), how to make use of
the telephone in the telephone box (see
Picture 2) ,where to go in the post office
(see Picture 3). But if he sees pictures by
the side of the strange words, they will
put him on the right way. Signs might
give the same sort of help in ‘ statistics’
(making comparisons between amounts).
Where to get your boxes The books of this science are full of numbers
Pierre 1
16 a7How to make use of the telephone
—the international signs of the language
of mathematics—and words are only used.
to give their sense, But we are not able to
get anything from them if we have no
knowledge of the language used. A sign
at the top of a list of numbers (see Picture
4) makes us almost independent of the
Knowledge of the language, because
pictures, whose details are clear to every-
body, are free from the limits of language
they are international, WORDS MAKE
DIVISION, PICTURES MAKE CON-
NECTION.
Education by pictures in harmony with
the ISOTYPE system, advertisement by
ISOTYPE signs, will do much to give the
different nations a common outlook, If
the schools give teaching through the eye
in harmony with this international picture
language, they will be servants of a
common education all over the earth, and
will give a new impulse to all other
questions of international education,
‘The ISOTYPE picture language is not a
sign-for-sign parallel of a word language.
It is a language which may be put into
words in very different ways. The units
of the picture language have different
senses when they are in different positions.
Picture 2
18
19It is not possible to give a word for every
part of such a picture or a statement for
every group of parts. The parallel in a
normal language of a complete * language
picture’ is a complex group of state-
ments ; and an account in words of what is
in a group of language pictures would
make a book. The sense of every part of
these pictures is dependent on the sense of stamps
the complete picture and on its relation to
the other parts of the picture. Like words
they fire used again and again to make
quite different statements.
Reading a picture language is like telephone
making observations with the eye in
everyday experience: what we may say
about a language picture is very like what
we may say about other things seen by
the eye. For example: the man has two
air-post
legs; the picture-sign has two legs; but
the word-sign ‘man’ has not two legs.
But the uses of a picture language are
much more limited than those of normal
languages. It has no qualities for the money,
purpose of exchanging views, of giving
igns of feeling, orders, etc. It is not in
competition with the normal languages;
it is a help inside its narrow limits. But in
the same way as Basic English is an Picture 3
20 2education in clear thought—because the
use of statements without sense is forced
upon us less by Basic than by the normal Gewerbebetriebe im Deutschen Re
Tanguages, which are full of words without
sense (for science)—so the picture language
isan education in clear thought—by reason
of its limits. seve | wir | wed
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publicis conscious of the need for education.
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relation to the system) are a sign of that.
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Our experience is that the effect of
pictures is frequently greater than the Reich mala
effect of words, specially at the first stage
of getting new knowledge. The number of of rience 35260 | 528268 | sizow
pictures which come before everybody's
‘eyes in newspapers, in motion pictures, in
Prerone
4
the street advertisements, is getting
greater and greater, and today it is most
22, 23necessary for the schools to take note of
this fact, if the effect of the streets is not
to be greater than that of the school. The
schools, like all old organizations, are
rooted in the past, and the general
tlie
areS
teaching tendency is the outcome of the atl
old opinion that pictures are only for men
without knowledge of reading and writing,
and not for men of good education. Even
today there is still much of this feeling
against pictures, which are said to make
a book seem less serious, but in com-
petition with
it is the new feeling
that today
the eye is all-important.
‘The schools are starting to make use of
Number of Men Living in Europe
pictures, but only in the less important
‘he full use of the rules of
the ISOTYPE system will make a complete
change in our ways of teaching. New
1 nen fr $000,000 men
fieldsof knowledge will be open for teaching,
in schools. The history of nations and
groups (see Picture 5), the organization of
goods, suddenly become clear when put
before the eye in good teaching-pictures
The first suggestion gives the learner the
guide to deeper knowledge and to science,
without the danger which is so frequent
in education by words: that of taking
note only of details and seeing nothing of
24the general view. If the general view is hard to make a picture of a simple
given by teaching-pictures, it will be kept statement, Education has to put the two
in mind. together, and a system of education has
The first need for teaching by pictures to see which language is best for which
is to give the teacher good teaching purposes.
material. Teaching by the eye is much There will be need in the education
more dependent on good teaching material, system of the future for a system of
and much less dependent on the powers teaching by pictures. Here it is—the first
of the teacher than other forms of and so far the only system of making
teaching. The better the teaching mat- teaching-pictures,
erial is, the less teaching experience is
necessary, which makes possible a higher
general level of education. A small ‘THE CHIEF POINTS
number of organizations, or even one OF THE ISOTYPE SYSTEM
common organization, will be able to give
us all the teaching material needed and to A picture which makes good use of the
see that it is of the best quality, but where system gives all the important facts in
are we to get thousands and thousands of the statement it is picturing, At the first
good teachers? The teaching system look you see the most important points,
which has the greatest value is not the at the second, the less important points,
‘one which in the hands of good teachers at the third, the details, at the fourth,
gets the learners furthest, but that which nothing more—if you see more, the
makes it possible for the least able teachers teaching-picture is bad
to do good work. ‘A good teacher is able to keep out all
‘Frequently it is very hard to say in unnecessary details. For the selection, a
words what is clear straight away to the clear sense of the needs of education is
eye. It is unnecessary to say in words important, and a good teaching-picture
what we are able tomake clear by pictures. may only be produced with the help of a
And on the other hand, it is frequently good teacher. The value of teaching by
26 2pictures is that facts are put before the harmony with the same rules. This is the
‘mind in a simple, straightforward way and reason why long experience and special
are kept in memory. A good teacher is training is needed for the process of
conscious that only a certain amount of patting the material given by science into
Imowledge will be kept in mind. So he teaching-pictures.
puts into his picture only what isnecessary. ‘The man of science has to make clear-
He is of the opinion that a simple picture cut statements on which other clear-cut
Kept in the memory is better than any statements in different branches of science
number of complex ones which have gone may be based. The picture-maker has to
ont of it be guided by the rules of education through
Sometimes a comparison is made the eye and to make a selection of material
betwean education by pictures and busi- which will give a certain teaching effect,
ness advertisement by pictures. This but it is not his purpose to give a full
comparison has its limits. Every business account of all the facts. The outcome of
advertisement is in competition with this is that a number of experts in science
every other and necessarily has a ten- are not supporters of this system, and are
dency to put all other such pictures out even of the opinion that it is a danger to
of the memory of the onlooker. Attempts the rules of their science. But the needs
to get general advertisement units are of education are of a different sort from
against the purposes of advertisement and those of science, and they have to be
will never come to anything. Every worked out by men with a special
advertisement has to be different from all ‘outlook and training.
others. Not so the teaching-pictures. One Sometimes fact-pictures have to put
has
to be like another so far as it gives the details clearly before the eye. Which
same details, and to be different from details to put in, which to keep out, is a
another only so far as the story it gives is hard question and one which is not to be
different. All pictures are part of a unit answered generally but only in relation to
they are using the same language. Signs special examples. We will say more about
of the same language are put together in this later.
28 29A. specially important part in the
ISOTYPE system as it is at present used
is taken by the pictures giving ‘ statistics’
or the relation between amounts of
different things— amount pictures,’ or
“number-fact pictures.’ To most men the
reading of long lines of numbers is a
great trouble—they put down a book
when they see it has in it numbers or
curves. But pictures are an attraction
This fact gives the ISOTYP system a
special value for all sorts of education,
It is not necessary for every reader of
ISOTYPE pictures to have a complete
knowledge of all the rules
of the ISOTYPI:
ania,
system,
because without
being conscious of
the reason he gets
the effect of the pictures.
It is the same with the reading of a good
play or a well-balanced bit of writing:
there is no need to have a knowledge of
the art used in producing such effects to
get pleasure from it, We may even say
that almost no knowledge at all is neces-
sary of the ‘ words ’ of the picture language
fhe signs—or of the rules for talking
tl s language—the system.
On the other hand, for writing this
group
language much more is necessary than the
reading of a book about the system. The
30 31work has to be done by a group of ex- be so simple that they may be put in
perienced persons acting together : men of lines like letters. The signs have to be
science, the teacher (the ‘ transformator ’), of such a form that the on-looker will not
and men with a knowledge of designing, get tired of seeing lines of the same sign,
colouring, printing, pasting, etc, The sign ‘man’ has not to give the
idea of a special person with the name
XY, but to be representative of the
THE SIGNS animal ‘man ' (see Picture 6). A picture-
sign for the word-sign ‘ men’ is different
In building up such a language great from a picture of some men, In the first
care has to be taken to see that as much as we give a group-sign ‘men,’ (Picture 6)
possible may be said with the help of the made by putting together a number of
smallest number of words. That is to say, signs for ‘man;’ in the second it may be
for our picture language one general list necessary to give a picture of a number of
of a limited number of signs is needed for different men, small, tall and so on,
intemational use, and this has to be Sometimes, for example in teaching
worked out by or under the control of one history, it may be necessary to give the
chief organization, (This organization is picture of a special person in a teaching-
now the ISOTYPE work-rooms at the picture—that is not at all out of harmony
Hague). On this international list, giving with the rules of picture language.
all the necessary rules about forms and ‘Most of the signs may be used not only
colours, international picture education in lines but as separate designs, An
and advertisement will be based. example of this is the sign for ‘servant’
The signs have to be clear in themselves, (see Pictures 7, 8, 9). Tt is used: 1, on the
without the help of words as far as possible directions for making use of the bell, 2, in
—that is, ‘living signs.’ They have to a picture of a lift, 3, as a unit in an
be different from one another, so that there amount-picture,
will be no doubt of their right name, The sign for ‘ automobile’ is the same
when they are seen again, They have to in a picture teaching care on the road as
32 33 BBells for the different sorts of servants
Isotype picture of a lft in a hotel (detail)
O
Bell for
‘the
waiter
Dell for
the room-
servant
O
bell for
the
porter
Picrory 8
Picture 7
34 35in an amount-picture. You will see here a
Growth in Number
of Servanes new suggestion of the Mundaneum In-
stitute, to be used on roads at the points
1925 where the rule to keep to the right is
changed into the rule to keep to the left,
and the other way round (see Pictures 10
and 11). Frequently this change is not at
the line of division between two countries,
and if the directions are only given in
words and the chauffeur has no knowledge
of the language used, bad smashes may
be caused. The idea is to put the directions:
“ Go slowly and get over on to the other
s'de of the road” on three-angled boards
at some distance from the point of the
change. Then at that point put up a square
board, which will be clear not only for
wutomobiles but for persons on foot who
have no training in road signs. It is
important to have the signs for ‘ auto-
mobile front’ and ‘automobile back’
very different from one another, because
only in this way will the direction of the
automobile be clearly seen at the first look,
The automobile back has been made as
dark as possible, the front much lighter.
The sign for ‘ automobile front ’ is the unit
for the amount picture of the numbers of
automobiles in existence (see Picture 12).
37No text on this page.
Science gives us accounts of old picture take into account the experience of
Ianguages in general use, for example, in history. The picture-writing of old Egypt
the first stages of the development of and pictures of fights on old military
society. The signs used are frequently not maps (see Picture 37) are of much help in
very clear to us today, but they were building up a system of signs, The
clear when and where they were used. We ISOTYPE list of signs, put together in the
are not able to take over the old signs as last 10 years, is based equally on the
they are, Adjustments have to be made in experience of the past and on present
relation to the forms of todayand tomorrow forms. If we were not in a position to
before it is possible for them to come into make use of past experience, it might be
‘general use. Giving a sign its fixed form very long time before our store of signs
for international use, possibly for a great was complete,
number of years, is responsible work. The colours do not give as much
The signs have to be like good letters. trouble as the forms. The use of colours in
It will not do to take the taste of the pictures, not only to give natural effects,
present day as our only guide ; we have to but as signs for special qualities or
feelings, has been common from. carliest
times. In teaching-pictures the colours
are a great help to the eye in keeping
"faa together different divisions in
group. For example: metal
a common
industry:
red; clothing industry: blue; wood in-
pa fa Fa fal,
dustry : green ; and so:
iron industry, machine industry : different
signs in red,
"Fa a fa Sf Fi fd
cloth industry, dress making: different
signs in blue.
cutting up wood, wood work: different
Pucrore 12 signs in green.
40 4 BIIf a distribution of such signs is made on
a map it is a great help to see groups in
colours when looking at it for the first
time,
Sometimes the colours are necessary to
make clear that signs
of the same form have
a different sense. For example: the ‘To the water
picture of “Development of the iron
produced on the earth ” will be made up
of signs for iron which are completely like
one another. If at the same time the
development of the iron produced in
different countries has to be seen, the
signs have to be in different colours, as:
blue for U.S.A., red for Great Britain
black for Germany, and so on
The rules for colours are not so fixed
fas the rules for
seven colours
forms.
for use
There
in
are only
ISOTYPE
—> a
_—>
pictures: white, blue, green, yellow, red,
brown, black; and only some of them
not for drinking for drinking warm water
may have a further division (as into
light blue, dark blue, light green, dark
Picture 13
green, light red, dark red, light brown,
dark brown), or be mixed with others,
as white and black to make grey, yellow
and red to make orange etc. Even. this
small number of colours may not all be
used in the same way : on white paper all
2 43white signs have to have a black line round
them, and so do most of the yellow signs.
The colours blue, green, red are almost Men Living on the Earth
of the same weight and so are used most
frequently with black, grey, and some-
times with brown.
‘There are certainly
maps or pictures with
a great number of different shades. But
the teacher has to make use of as small a
number as possible, because most persons
have not a delicate colour-sense, and
because the teaching effect of shades of
colours is small. The colours have to be
so different that there will be no doubt in
the mind of the on-looker which colour he
has before him when he sees it separately.
‘A decision about colours which is made
for a group of pictures has to be supported
by all the group. But in another group
the order of colours may have to be
changed—because of the small number of
colours at hand. If the pictures are to be
printed, the range of selection is frequently
1 sen for 100,900,000 me
even smaller. For printing purposes one ‘White
—red—tuck—brown—yellow men
may be limited to only two colours, and
the colour will then be nothing more than
Prerure 14
a guide to the more important thing—
but even then the ISOTYPE picture-
maker will keep as near as possible to his
“4colour rules, If, for example, he has to
give a picture of cold and warm water,
he will make the warm water red (red is Signs for the 5 groups of men
warm, power, industry...) and the cold
water blue. If there is only black and red,
he will make the warm water red and the
cold black (see Picture 13). If there
only black, he has to make the two of
them black, and this is the reason why the
signs for warm and cold water have
further to be different in design. One of
the important rules for the designer is
that it is necessary to be able to see the
sense of an ISOTYPE picture from its
‘camera
copy in black and white. Where it is
impossible to say something of the form
only, and at the same time impossible to
give colours, the effect has to be got by
shades of black, small lines or points
covering the plane like a colour. The
selection of such lines, curves, and points
has to be made in stich a way that the eye
will readily see that the designs are
different from one another even when it
sees them separately.
Pictures 14 and 15 give examples of
changing from five colours to two or one.
Picture 15,
But Picture 14—though not making use
of the special man-signs of Picture 15,
46 a7second line—would be clear in black,
because the hats of the man-signs ar
different in form. When this picture is in
ve colours, these do not give the effect of
the true colours of the skin: they are much.
more different than the natural colours.
They are the simple colourswhich have the ceurved knife
(Garmidg)
same name as the group of men of which
they are the representative. If there are
only black and red for print—as here—the
red man will be red and the black black,
the white will have a black line in place of
the grey line used in a picture with more
colours, and the yellow and brown will toothed wheel
(industry)
be changed into light red and light black.
‘There is a certain general feeling about
the sense of the colours. Not only is hope
green, lovered, etc. these facts are not very
important in teaching—but there will be
a great measure of agreement about the
colours representative of such groups as scales.
farming, industry, business, and transport, (trade)
if these groups are to be marked off from
the rest. Farming will be green, industry
red, business and transport blue, other
groups grey. In addition, the sign for Prcrore 16
farming will be a curved knife, forindustry
2toothed wheel, for business and transport
scales (see Picture
16)
48.If colours have to be given to the three
Pe PLE?
stages of development of society—the shoe
earliest stage, the stage of a high develop-
ment of handwork, the stage of machine
work, they will be green for the first,
blue for the second, red for the last. Green
is wood, grass, field, young, early, Red is
industry, machine, metal, warm, present works
higher stage of development, worker
Blue is in the middle. The sign for a
country is frequently a flag, or one of the
colours of the flag. Great Britain is red,
U.S.A. blue, Germany black, France blue,
and s0 on,
PUTTING SIGNS TOGETHER
Thereis a sign for ‘ shoe’ (a shoe), and
shoes produced
there isa sign for a works (a buildingwith ‘by machine
reat smoke-outlet). By joining these
two words to make the new word shoo-
works
we get the word for a worksin
which
shoes are produced. The picture of such
a works in the ISOTYPE picture language
shoos produced
is the building with the great smoke by hahdwork
outlet, with a shoe on it. If it is desired to
say “shoes produced in a works (by
machine)” and “shoes produced by
handwork,” the Basic lang 7“machine-made shoe’ and ‘ hand-made-
!
shoe
’ (see Picture 17). On the ISOTYPE
picture the signs will be in two groups
and at the top of one group will be the
sign for ‘ produced by machine’,
and at the
top of the other group a sign for hand-
work. Or the division might be made by
colours, and the sense of the colours coal
would be given in a clear way by making
the signs for machine and handwork in
their special colour, and placing them
well.
ccoal-worker
There is a sign for ‘worker’ and a
sign for ‘coal.’ If it is necessary for a
worker in the coal industry to be marked
off from other workers, the sign for
der
coal will be put on his chest, The man is
the thing and the coal is his quality. The
man is the root idea and the coal the coal produced
addition. On the other hand, the coal may bby machine
be the root idea and the man the addition,
for example if we are talking about coal
A
produced by handwork and coal produced
by machines (see Picture 18). Then we coal produced
will make the decision to put the man and by hand
the machine outside the coal. Such
signs outside the root picture to which they
are an addition are named ‘guide-pictures.”
“ Guide-pictures” are used for example in
582Picture 5, giving an idea of the different
times and of the facts in connection with
the different living conditions, making it
clear that in our day it is possible to
have more men living on the same
space. The iron-making apparatus at the
top of Picture 30 makes clear only that
we have to do here with the amount of
iron produced. On Picture 33 a comparison
is made between the automobiles produced
in America and in Europe. There are
guide-pictures of America and Europe,
making us more independent of the words.
The system of connection between
signs in word languages and picture lan-
guages is not at all parallel. In a picture
language there is no sign for the word
“foot;’ and for word groups like “ foot
of a man,” “foot of a mountai
“foot of a table” there are simple signs
of a very different sort. Generally, the
foot of a man will not be important in a
language picture and the statements
giving an account of the picture will not Go to the medical man, if your baby has Rachitis
make use of the word ‘ foot,’ But some-
times special attention will be given to Picture 19
the foot, for example if the statement
Take care not to have a smash, your foot
may get broken, and soon. . . has to be
54put into a picture. Another example is
when the form of the leg is the key point
Li
of the picture, The baby with the straight
legs is the healthy baby, the baby with the
bent legs is the one who is ill (see Picture
19). ‘Go
to the medical manif your baby
has Rachitis; he will give you help in
making it healthy."
The picture language has frequently to
338
make different signs for things at rest and
things in motion, for example: grain
produced here for use here, grain going to
other countries, grain coming from other
countries, ‘The three signs of the ISO-
TYPE language are: grain by itself,
;
grain on a small ship, grain on a small
ship done in outline, not in full colours
(see Picture 20).
If the sign ‘ coffee ’is by itself, its sense
is coffee and nothing more, but if the sign
“ coffee ' by itself is at the side
of coffee on
bea
aship, coffee in outline on a ship in outline,
coffee with a flame, coffee with a line round
it, these five signs are representative of:
coffee produced here for use here, coffee
produced here to be sent to other countries,
Signs put together
coffee coming from other countries and
used here, coffee for destruction, coffee in Picture 20
store (Picture 20). These are the divisions
56 a7,of the coffee business today. Picture 21
gives this story :
Most of the coffee is produced in South
America, but a third part of it is for
destruction. A very small part is for use
in South America itself. ‘The rest goes to
other countries. Canada and the U.S.A.
te eee
together are using as much as Europe and
Eurape and Soviet Union
the Soviet Union together. The amount of
coffee in store is almost as great as the
pedicel tar deacon
produce of one year, but this year the
produced aad uted i ae eeere
store is getting a little smaller: certain
amounts are being sent away (signs of
Picture 21
stored coffee on a ship).
Flames are not at all times the sign for
destruction, Coal with
a flame is coal used,
or heat produced by coal, in comparison
18 South America
and Canada
with heat produced by oil and working
power produced from water power (Picture
20). Such changes are the same as with
certain words in the word language: the
USA.
spring of a watch is not the same as the
1933,
spring which comes after the winter.
Coffee Trade in
Ships used with other signs make the
1 sien for 10,000|
statement only that things are moved, and
do not say anything about the direction in
which they go. If the direction itself is im-
portant, or if the starting-point and the
end-point have to be noted, this direction
38.or these places have to be designed in
addition, for example by lines on a map
joining the two parts of the earth (see
Picture 22). If it is important to see
1 tine for § millard marks in longtime credits or put into buiness in other countries
which of the ways across the earth are used
more frequently and which less, the
number of lines of connection may be in
relation to that. Ships forming an addition
to the chief sign, representative of
‘move,’ will be seen only at the second
Sevlet Union.
look. If ships themselves are the chief
signs, they have to be designed in a
International Credits
different way, so that they will be seen at
the first look (see Picture 23).
Signs are generally put together on a
plane, and sometimes, in addition, as
bodies in the room. The writing or talking
language is only of ‘one expansion*
the sounds come one after the other in
time, the word-signs generally come one
after the other on paper, as for example
the telegram signs on a long, narrow band
of paper. The same is true in books—one
word over another in the line tnder it has
no effect on the sense. But there are
Tanguages of “ two expansions,
example, part of the language of ch
giving the structure of connections in the
usa
smallest unit of substance. But languages
60of one and two ‘ expansions ’ are not very
different from one another; they may be
madeparal inlel
the same way as the points
===inrvs
of any number of ‘expansions’ may be
put into relation to the points of a limited
RADA Silda
line. Some of the picture languages in
existence are of one expansion, they are
made up of long lines of small signs, put
together in rolls, Another sort of picture
Tanguage, such as the ISOTYPE system,
makes use of the connection of parts not
in one direction only, but in two, and the
effect is a language picture.
The purpose of teaching-pictures is to
Pieruns 23
have an effect on the mind. The dis-
tribution of signs and colours over the
plane of the picture has to be made in
such a way that the attention is guided
to certain points which have to be looked
at first. That is like the selection of words
in a discussion or in a book, like the
weight put on words in talking orinreading.
Ifa word is printed wid er you will give
it more attention, as when one word is
said louder than another. Special notes
(Other countros
would be necessary to give an account of
Union
Warships
other shades of feeling, other shades of
France
thythm, a better idea of the distribution of
Soviet an
weight in statements or words, Such
62rules of rhythm are not generally a part of of such details as are necessary for an
education, which is normally limited to account in the language of science. It is
words and the right connections between certainly not necessary for a fact picture
them, But some languages (like Dutch) to be poor in details, but all details have
give rhythm to the writing language by to have teaching-value, Every part of
putting the sign * over a word. Possibly the language-picture has its limited sense.
the Dutch give more attention to questions In other words : with a limited number of
of thythm in schools. The ISOTYPE statements in the language of science it is
language, as a helping language for possible to give the clear story of the
teaching purposes, has to give attention fact picture. Only the opinions formed in
to questions of rhythm before everything the learner, the connections he makes with
at the very start, his present knowledge, are outside the
The order of signs seen by the eye has to teaching tendency and may be a surprise
be in relation to the best order for keeping to the teacher.
in memory marks in the mind. ‘That is
what every decision in the invention of a
teaching-picture is based on, At the same
time every other picture which has been GROUPING PICTURES
put before the public has to be kept in WITH OTHER THINGS
mind. All pictures together make one
unit, and it is important for the reader It is not the same thing to make a
not to be troubled in any way if he is teaching book on a special branch of
conscious of all the marks which teaching- knowledge as to make an encyclopaedia
pictures have made on his memory. from which the reader makes a selection
Our fact pictures have to give as small himself. The ISOTYPE picture language
an amount of detail as possible. In this would be of use asa helping language in an
they are the opposite of a natural picture international encyclopaedia of common
and specially of a camera picture. Every knowledge. Such an encyclopaedia will
ISOTYPE picture has to make use only be the work of our time. A number of
64 65 cpictures which have been worked out may good pictures has been given, every one
be part of such an encylopaedia in different from the other, and at the same
pictures. time every one supporting the other.
In putting together a special selection From this account it will be clearly
of pictures for certain teaching purposes, seen what are the ISOTYPE rules for
‘one has to be guided by the same rules of putting things on view, in special buildings,
wise selection as in putting together signs museums, etc, It is necessary for the
for a teaching picture. It would be an public to be guided through a museum in
error to put a number of pictures before the the same way as the eyes are guided
eye which were as uninteresting as the through the signs and words of one picture,
statements they take the place of. Pictures, Everything which is put on view has to
being parts of one group, have to be as be given order like the different parts of a
different from one another as possible so book. It is not necessary for an ISOTYPE
that they will not get mixed up in the museum to have nothing but ISOTYPE
memory. pictures: no, ISOTYPE rules may be
It is a special work to give to every made use of in natural history museums
picture a new note, It is against the rules and in museums giving the history of
to make changes without any reason, society, in museums of scionce and
Every change has, in addition, to say industry, in museums of art and in
something. It is important for teaching- museu ms
of hygiene, ete, In the society of
pictures to be the cause of a strong the future all these different sorts of
reaction. Every picture has to give a new museum will be parts of one great
impulse to attention, to conscious thought, teaching organization. Everything which
to a desire for deeper knowledge. Interest is put on view in a museum has to be
has to be the guide between one picture given a teaching purpose, At present,
and another, But it is possible to overdo experts in special sciences put things
things, “Less is more.” The teaching together for a museum—everybody has
effect will be greater, the memory will been into a natural history museum and
be clearer, when only a small number of seen the thousands and thousands of
66 67birds and other animals which are there in some relation to the experience and the
grouped under one roof. Every expert is knowledge of every onlooker. So the new
pleased to have a great number ofexamples knowledge will come into its right place.
and details. But museums are not for ‘An ISOTYPE museum has to give the
experts, they are for the public, At chance to everyone to make his selection
present there are no representatives of the himself. In a great museum there has to
general public to take care of the interests be a wide field for selection. It is impor-
of the men who come to see and to get tant to make this clear to everybody by
some knowledge. ISOTYPE rules are the the order of things, by the system of
rules for respecting the interests of the the building. For example, if someone
public (in a picture, in a museum, or in all has an interest in ‘whales’ (the greatest
museums together). sea-animals), it will be important for him
What will an ISOTYPE museum of to see quickly what their special place in
natural history be like? Certainly it will the museum is, and to have a key to
have in it a number of birds, fishes, and so everything in connection with whales:
on, But some account will be given of their substances for lighting, for leather-making,
living conditions, and other facts about for medical purposes, and soap-making,
them, such as their distribution over the supports made of whalebone, where
earth, and their relations to man and their living-place is, the number put to
society will be made clear. An ISOTYP! death every year, where and how whale-
museum of natural history will have in it fishing is done, which countries take part
not only animals and plants, but maps, in this trade, ete.
number-fact pictures, examples of things Such ISOTYPE museums are quite
made from different animals and plants, different from the museums of yesterday.
their part in our existence, and so on. The idea has come down to us from the
So such a museum would be like a great past, when rulers or churches got together
ISOTYPE picture made up of natural works of art and strange things which
things. The things have to be not separate, were the property of one person only,
‘but in some relation to one another and that museums have to put on view
68. 69separate things of special value or
attraction, things of which there is only
one in existence. But ISOTYPE museums
might be copied everywhere without any
Joss of value. Their value is their teaching
value.
Even from the outside the ISOTYPE,
museums will be different from the
museums of yesterday. They will be
nothing but a simple cover for simple
teaching-material, Not only has the order
of rooms to be in harmony with the order
of the things on view, but it has to be
readily changed on the addition of new
groups of things; for this reason it
important to make adjustments of the
building possible by having floors and
walls which may be moved, space for
new rooms, etc. The designing of an
ISOTYPE museum will be special work
needing a house designer and an ISOTYPE
expert. What will it be like? The first
ISOTYPE museum in existence will give
the answer to this question, So far it
has existence only in the minds of a small
number of persons.
The GESELLSCHAFTS-UND WIRT-
SCHAFTSMUSEUM IN WIEN (I
1934) was not in a special building, but
70.as far as possible it was in harmony with of the museum in different parts of the
the ISOTYPE rules. In great rooms there town, One room in the business part of
‘were a number of thin walls of wood put the town, with pictures and special
together by a sort of hooks. In this way apparatus for testing the public, was open
it was possible to make smaller rooms of all through the day. It was seen by 2000
different size which might be changed persons every day, some using it as a sort
whenever necessary. On the walls there of waiting-room, and others going there
were two rails of wood at such a distance for some minutes every day for knowledge
from one another that pictures a certain and amusement. Sometimes groups of
number of centimetres high might be pictures were sent round to other towns,
put on and taken off without any other together with such moving walls. Taking
apparatus. The normal size of a picture everything into account, the GESELL-
‘was 126m x 126cm (4 feet x 4 feet), and SCHAFTS- UND — WIRTSCHAFTS-
the middle-point of a picture was about MUSEUM IN WIEN was a museum
150 cm (5 feet) higher than the floor, that ‘measuring itself by man’s measure and
is the position of the eye of a normal basing its work on the needs of the man in
upright person. Smaller pictures were put the street,
together in groups so that every group was
126 cm high (see Picture 24). 90 em (about
8 feet) of wall-space under every picture
‘was kept clear, so that a table with appar- SOME SPECIAL RULES
atus, some books or other things on view
FOR NUMBER-FACT PICTURES
might be placed there. Being conscious of
the fact that the working man has time to A group of fact pictures to which
see a museum only at night, the GESELL- special attention has been given are the
SCHAPTS- UND WIRTSCHAFTS- number-fact pictures. The first rule for
MUSEUM was open at night. The lights number-fact pictures is: A sign is re-
were so placed that the brightest rays resentative of a certain amount of things ;
came on the pictures, There were branches a greater number of signs is representative
72 73of a greater amount of things. Everyone
is conscious of the value of this system in
comparison with the old system of making
(see Picture 25). All of us have seen in m oeaS
the signs themselves greater or smaller
‘Number of men getting married in Germany out of every 10,000 persons
a eine ios tices peures EMER nm aS
fa tall man is placed by the side of a small ba =
cone. The signs are sometimes represent- an
7
jae Gls
ative of the number of men living in
different countries. But it is not clear 0
what sort of comparison is to be made by
the eye. Have we to see only how high
signs of different sizes
they are, or have we to see in addition
Prcrone 25
how wide the signs are? Or have we to
1920
be conscious that the signs are represent-
ative of bodies, and is the comparison to
be made between the weight of the two
men? These questions get no answer from
the picture, The designer of the example
‘was conscious of this fact : he put in the
numbers in addition | system
‘These old pictures are not able to make
Example of bad
it clear that all greater amounts are made
by the addition of smaller amounts, and
they give no idea what will come out
if we take a smaller amount from a
greater one, These old pictures are not
able to give a clear idea of the effect of a
change in the number of births and
74 75Men getting married in Germany
im sae _ a)
we saan ae
11a 513260
Wu 0608
ms 778208
wo 9078
7 meus
ime 35250
ot
me B30
120 994978
wa 7357
wa eae
wa sa7
wu 400%
2 482792
1925 490198
Prcrors 26
“qna
“a
~qanaggaa
“Haga 1gs for 100,00
2 yer
Picture 27deaths. The Isotype system of picture- process
will be this: 1, the selection
of the
making is able
to do that (see Picture 31). years which will make clear the curve of
The unit of which one sign is re- development; 2, the selection of the unit,
resentative has to be a round number. which will be as great as possible but
Care has to be taken to get the right small enough to give the rough general
number of signs on a picture. In the curve of development clearly, and will,
picture “* Men living on the Earth”, the at the same time, be right for teaching
unit is 100 million men. There are about purposes ; 3, the selection of divisi
20 signs. The order of signs has to be made Example : list of numbers, clear design,
in such a way that some simple statement ISOTYPE picture of the number of men
which is a help to the memory will be getting married in Germany (Pictures 26
clear. The statement on which the and 27)
structure of the picture “ Men living on ‘Some general rules for the structure of a
the Earth” (see Picture 14) has been language picture are: Generally, the
based is: a third part of the men are direction of the eye has to be from the
white, a third part yellow, all other top left side to the foot of the right side,
groups are smaller. This will be the as with books. This rule may be broken
statement made clear at the first look, ‘only where there are special teaching
Decanse there are three lines of signs. A needs.
second look will make the statement An amount picture in harmony with
somewhat sharper. An important con- the ISOTYPE system, giving the develop-
dition for the effect of this picture is the ment of some amount in a fixed time, will
small number of second-level divisions. have this structure
The ISOTYPE system generally makes
Sere
not more than 5 or 6 such divisions.
If the change in the numbers in a
society for example, or the automobiles
produced in certain years, are under It is not in harmony with the ISOTYPE
discussion for an amount picture, the rules to make a change in this structure
8 79without very good cause, for example in
this way
rpee
How High Airplanes have been Able to Go
150008
or in this way :
elk
and so on. This last form will only be
necessary sometimes: for those amounts
the units of which have to be over one
another and not side by side : the record
of how high airplanes are able to go (see
Picture 28), how high the level of water
has been, and so on. In most examples it is
better if one unit is put at the side of the
other: men, animals, trees, grain, auto-
mobiles, and so on. For some examples the
order is not important : iron, rubber,
books, and so on. For these examples the Ila 19181923 1929 1934
general rule of the ISOTYPE system has
its value. Picture 28
If the comparison is not between the
amounts at different times, but between
the amounts in different countries, there
80 81will sometimes be a distribution of signs
8606666566
on a geography map. Even if it is better
Teeeeaee
to have no map, the memory of the
map has to be respected. The positions of
the countries has to be the same as on the
‘map in general use. The map of the earth
which is in use in Europe has America at
the left side and Asia at the right, so the
order of the 6 great divisions of the earth eed
on the ISOTYPE pictures is this
cANADA, sover | 29
| vs. usros
Fier
‘Picture
Arca, South Aaa,
o2822
MIDDLE AND] AFRICA,
I aga for 00% of tha acute predeced on the th
SOUTH | SOUTH ASIA, | FAR EAST
AMERICA | AUSTRALIA jee
jaNpe
a au
(See Pictures 21, 22)
or, if they have to be in one line
Canapa and U.S.A. Mippte and Sours
Middle and South Ameria
Awertca, EvRoPE, AFRICA
and SOUTH SIA
and AusTRALtA, Soviet UNton, Far East.
Material for Cloth
and Cansde
In the same way, a position for all the
countries has been fixed by the ISOTYPE
, but quite against the
US.A,
é?
rules of the ISOTYPE system, amount ha od
82 83Pig Iron Produced If the order of countries is fixed, the
curve is dependent on the thing under
Am
discussion. It is not hard to keep in
memory the fixed order of countries.
What has the greatest effect on the eye,
the curve, is most important for learning,
"pe eager Every sort of thing which has a dist
bution over the earth, has such a curve,
” poooge eoseeaqeat which is its special mark, its ‘ face.’ Here
isan example in the form ofa test-question:
"= yoneoooe aeage the places 1., 2, 3... . are the 6 great
” — y900 eee divisions of the earth, Canada and U.S.A.,
Middle and South America, and soon. A,
“~yaneonone peggageana B, C, Dare materials produced for making
cloth. The distribution is:
- ee BBBBBE LJAAAAAA 0c
U.S.A, in other countries 2a
3. BB ec
4.a8
Picture 30 5a BBEEREEE)
6a | pppppppppp
pictures put the amounts in order of
size. All these pictures seem to be a What are A, B, C, D?
statement of the same thing: a falling It isnot hard to see: A is cotton, B linen,
amount. The order of the names is almost € chemically produced silk, D natural
‘the most important part of the picture. silk (see Picture 29).
What has the greatest effect on the eye ‘A number of rules are necessary if there
in the bad example is of no value for is not only one sort of thing, but two or
earning. more different sorts of things in some
84 85relation to one another, Some examples:
Iron produced in U.S.A. and other countries
1900 UUU00000
1913 UUUUUT0000000000
1920 UUUUUUU00000
08h oad oad oad oud oat oad
‘The changes will be made much clearer in
this way
22d 8d ond exh 85 odd
1900 UU 00000
BAe
08d td oS odd oad
1913 UUUUUU 0000000000
1920 UUUUUUU 00000
8d ead 02d oad
(See Picture 30)
Births and deaths. Here it is important
Bicths and Deaths in Germany in a Year
to see by how much one amount is greater
31
than
the other.
Picroxe
1 BBBBBBB
1 Mack sien for 250,000 deaths year
DDDDD
en for 250.000 beth = year
2 BBBBBB
DDDDDDDD
8. BBBBB
ae
DDDDD
1, more births than deaths: greater
number of men;
19-14 1915-18 1919-22 1923-26
2, more deaths
than births : smaller number
of men;
8, the same number of births and deaths
no change in the number of men. There
are less births in 8, than in 1, and the same
number of deaths, and so on (see Picture
81, and, for comparison, Picture 36)
86 97Men living on a unit of space. This is
‘Men Living ona Unit of Space in Towns
clear fromthe distribution of signs,
without doing a division :
as a
Dewroie
i
The more persons are massed together,
i a
the more signs there are on the unit of
space. That is for the eye almost as
simple as the comparison of the men by
themselves (see Pictures 32 and 5)
Picture 32 makes a division between
towns of the U.S.A. and England on the
one side, and towns of other countries in
Europe on the other side, because these Frerere 32
two groups have different forms of housing.
88. 89The picture examples of this book give way of putting facts before the eye may
aan idea of some other rules of distribution, equally be of good or of bad quality, and
In Picture 33 not only is one able to see may be in harmony with the ISOTYPE
the relation between the number of rules or against them. We have to be
automobiles produced in a year and the guided here, in addition, by the general
number of men working in the automobile rules for putting signs together. This sort
industry, but it is clear from the very first of design is of great value in the ex-
look that one American worker makes change of thought and discussions of
much more than the European worker in theories, because even men who are
the same time. One of the most important experts in a special science frequently see
reasons is the new adjustment of the much more clearly what the question is if
automobile-producing plants in America; the material under discussion is put
that is why a band moving over rollers before them in this way.
15 been designed in connection with the All designs which make use of separate,
American workers. This is a good example equal signs may be in complete harmony
of the use of the two directions of measur- with the ISOTYPE rules. All designs
ing ina fact picture. making use of forms which are put
together in equal units may be in complete.
harmony with the ISOTYPE rules. Four-
AMOUNT PICTURES IN THE sided forms which are equal in one
jon and different only in the second
LANGUAGE OF GEOMETRY
m (see Picture 26) are almost
As an instrument of discussion, frequent parallel to a certain sort of ISOTYPE
use is made of simple signs—points, lines picture.
inl Soon, which are not part of the The eye is able to make a comparison
store of signs, Such pictures are not between amounts of signs, and it is able
teaching-pictures, but only self-teaching to see how much longer one line is than
pictures : they give no memory-material, another, as for example: three times as
but only an idea of relations, But this Tong . . . and so on.
90 OLBut the eye is completely unable to
make a comparison between planes in
such a sharp way. The only decision it is
able to make is : this plane is greater than
that. But how much greater? This
question will get no answer from the eye
by itself.
‘That is the reason why the square and
the circle will have no place in the ISO-
TYPE system. The square is frequently
used in books of geography, specially if
the question is the size of planes, for
example the size of countries. It is true
that we see at one look that one country
is greater than another. But it is im-
possible to see what number of times one
country is greater than another, the
addition of which countries makes a
&
country the same size as which other
country, and so on. If the rules of the
ISOTYPE system are taken as the guide,
all this will be clear. Every plane will be
made up of units of the same size and
form (four-sided forms, possibly squares,
gF
3
but that is not necessary), and by reason
of these units any comparison of sizes
1 red sen
nek
will be possible. “But,” the man of science
will say in support of his system, “ our
squares give the relation between sizes
92more clearly, the numbers have not to be
made into round numbers as in the
ISOTYPE system.” Yes, that is true,
but nobody is able to see that, It will
be necessary to take a measure and to
see how long the side of the square is,
if it is a, this has to be taken a times,
that is the right size of the plane.
ranen oxoar mo
But what is this hard work for—
the work of the designer and of the
looker? Why not give the number
itself? Such squares have no teaching-
quality at all—certainly no teacher has
GULDEN
mace this poor invention, Without a
Pieters 34
doubt it comes from a person who is not
ystcen
able to get the ‘square’ of the square
KOOPKRACHT wan en
miles or square metres out of his head,
The comparison of circles is as hard for bad
the eye as the comparison of squares (se
Exampl je of
Pieture 84), Unlike the square, however
the circle has one attraction : the division
by lines with the middle point of the
a meeting-point (see Picture 35),
son of the angles formed in
this way the
re tions of the parts may be
ween, But what if the qu tion is to make
A comparison of two such. ngles and the
planes between them in two different
circles of different size? Take a smaller
4Squares
One is only able to say :
‘2 is greater than 1
Bis greater than A
Circles
01 s only able to say
2 is greater than 1
Alsip of 1
Bis +f, of 2
Four-sided forms put
together from units
(One is now able to say
‘is twice as great as L
Ais fof 1
Bis, of 2
Ais */ of B
Groups of signs
M
sn tf,
omen */,
of 1)
of 2)
itt
pinte tite
of number of men
Preron
97 Dcircle with a greater angle and a greater Another sort of geometry design which
circle with a smaller angle—frequently is specially valued is the curve. It is
you are not able to see which of the two used for the statement of changes in
planes covered by the angles is the amounts or degrees in time: curves of
greater, But that is sometimes important. heat, changes in the number of men
For example: a comparison is made living in a town, changes in the amounts
between two countries and their division produced in some industry. The curves
into woods, grassland, fields, and unfertile put the changes clearly before the eye.
land, The countries are of different sizes— They may make rough statements and
the circles are of different sizes. The they may make clear-cut statements—
relation of parts is different—the angles are they may be looked at as giving a general
different, But if the question
is ; where are view or as making an addition of delicate
there more fields, the answer will not details—they are never a trouble to the
necessarily be given by the design without eye.
some mathematics. ‘This design is not a In the ISOTYPE system changes in
ood picture of the number material, amounts are pictures of this sort
In addition, circles, like squares, are
necessarily separate. They may not be
used for covering a plane. They will
ive the effect of parts of a unit,
xe pictures of the nations of the If we take away all signs—the only thing
earth, in which every nation is a circle, which makes clear the material in question
A great number of unequal circles—a —and make a mark where the end of the
trouble for the eye, which does not see fine of signs has been, and then make a
clearly why there are such a number. connection between these points, we
Isn't one of them unnecessary? Are they get the curve :
all there?
‘The complete comparison of these
forms is made clear in Picture 35.
98.If we take into account not only
the curve-line but the part of the
plane which is between the curve and the
straight line of 0, it will be more like our
ISOTYPE system. And if divisions are
made on the plane at equal distances, it
will be even more like, because now it will
bbe possible to see the number of divisions.
If we have a look at the curve in this
rough way, there seems to be nothing
wrong.
Let us have a look with greater care,
What the curve gives in addition to the
ISOTYPE picture, is the points of the
curve between these four marks which the
‘curve has in common with the ISOTYPE
picture. Sometimes these between-points
have a possible sense—but sometimes they
have no sense at all. The curve of the
numbers of some society has a sense,
The numbers are given for certain days of
the year, which are certain points on the
time line. But there is a number for every
day of the year, even for every minute,
and it has sense to say: we may get
ample of bad system : curve of births, deaths,
narrower and narrower, till we get the and men getting married
true position—every curve designed i Picture 36
some degree representative of this true
curve. It is like the curve of heat which
100
101 brmay be given in detail by a certain nearer to the true development. If, for
apparatus. example, the amounts produced are given
But what is to be said in approval of a for half years, there will be two steps in
curve of the iron produced every year ? Or place of one, and if the amounts are given
of a curve of births and deaths and the for the months, there will be 12 steps in
number of men getting married every place of one. Not the distance between
year (see Picture
96) ? Is there
an amount time line and curve, but the plane between
of iron produced in a year for every time line and curve is representative of the
minute of the year? Certainly not. What amounts produced. The distance is
possible sense have these between-points? representative of the amounts produced
If one gave much thought to this question in a unit of time, the mathematics expert
‘one might get some sort of sense: the will say. But this expert will see no sense
year's produce for every possible sort of in the first curve of bent lines between
year, not only our calendar year—but fixed points—it is nothing but a con-
this is without reason and was certainly nection between separate points. Only
not in the mind of the designer of the these separate points have sense: the
curve, There is a way out for the designer curve has no sense at all. Further, the
of curves: separate points of the time carve of births and deaths—even if
line have to be representative not of the designed as a stepped curve-
years, but only of their start or end,
<0 to give such a clear and
that limited equal parts of the line are births and deaths as the ISOTYPE
representative of the years. In place of picture (Picture 31).
points the designer has to make small Every process, however simple, has to
parallel lines to the time line and he will bbe in harmony with the rules of logic and
get a stepped curve in place of the other mathematics. No process, however clear-
curve of bent lines (like Picture 26). This cut, and however well based on science and
stepped curve has a certain sense from delicate thought, will have any value for
the point of view of mathematics. Tt has science or for education if it is not in
sense to say: we may get nearer and harmony with the rules of this poor
102 103logic and mathematics. Not only a person Egypt, where the pictures were named
judging the value of the material for “hieroglyphs.” The hieroglyphs came
education will say: put the iron curve from pictures, but they became represent-
away. Anyone judging its value for ative of the unit sounds of words.
science will say the same. The present writing in China and
It has never come to our knowledge Japan is a writing in signs, and every sign
that experts in mathematics or logic have is representative of a thing or an idea, etc.
come across such errors in the ISOTYPE and not of a word or of sounds. The
system. This system does not take for position of signs in a group, their form of
its field the more complex part of science ; connection, gives them a sense. When the
its field is only the teaching of the very same sign is put down more than once, the
first stage—but this work it does seriously sense does not necessarily have to be
and as well as those responsible for given in more words. For example, signs
building it up have been able to make it. for tree put together give the sign for wood.
This comes very near to the ISOTYPE
system. But the Chinese writing has to
FROM DESIGNS IN STONE AND be able to put down all the words and
THE ORBIS PICTUS TO THE statements of the language—this writing
itself has to be a complete language,
ISOTYPE ENCYCLOPAEDIA
while the ISOTYPE language is only a
‘The first designs of man are old designs helping language for those groups of
on stone, in secret and dark places in statements which will be made clearer by
hollows, or on great stone walls. It seems pictures. This fact makes these two
that these designs were a part of the languages very different. (It is impossible
process by which special powers were for all Chinese signs to be clear straight
used to put animals to death (* magic’) away. They have been formed by reason-
We have the knowledge of old sign- ‘ing, and by hundreds of years of use)
languages in different countries, for ‘All these sign-languages have more in
example in America, and specially in common than word languages. That
104 105seems natural, They are based on our Old military picture
knowledge of the things themselves,
putting weight on whatever seems im-
portant. Ideas of what is important are
not the same at all times or in all countries,
and this fact makes the desicns different.
Sometimes the head of a man seems
important, sometimes not; sometimes
even the hands and the fingers seem im-
portant. Certainly the ISOTYPE signs
‘are dependent on their times like all these
old sign-languages. Later times will see
what their special qualities are and what
the conditions were which made them.
In present Europe the idea of picture
education is not more than 300 years old,
Before that there was not very much
connection between words and pictures.
The books and the thoughts of those times
had little to do with experience, but were
in the field of religion and had to do with
questions of reasoning. The pictures were
not based on science and gave their story
of religion to a wide public, In later times
the relation between words and pictures
became clearer, in connection with the
development of science.
The Orbis Pictus of Comenius gives
pictures for a great number of words and
106names in different languages. A start was clear-cut accounts which were at the
made with those names which take a same time simple for normal readers. Of
great part in religion—but after two or the same sort were pictures of machines,
three pages there are only things of of ships and carriages, of the first railways,
everyday experience, men living on the etc. Some
of them were very good teaching-
earth, working at machines, etc. The pictures, giving a true and complex
pictures of this Orbis Pictus are not at the account. But there were no conscious
same level as the new idea of their use-— rules of design.
their designer is not an authority for our In the writings
of Leibniz.
we come across
designing like Comenius for our teaching the idea that picture-making is to be done
There were a number of ‘ orbis pictus,’ with the help of science. His desire was to
but in not one of them is there any idea make an ‘atlas universalis’ in con-
of a common system for writer and nection with an encyclopaedia, The
designer. Frequently the delicate thought French encyclopaedia gave a great amount
which has been given to the writing has of material and a great number of pictures,
not been given equally to the designing but there was only a loose connection
The invention of printing in black and between them. In our day Paul Otlet
white gave a new impulse to every sort of (Palais Mondial, Bruxelles) is taking a
writing and designing for a wide public, step further. His idea is the building of a
All the developments were independent of “cité mondial’ for the organization of
‘one another and went forward quite museums and the distribution of printed
separately. One special branch of work material and pictures, He made a start
was the making of pictures of military to get together picture material from all
stations and of fights, in which the order countries. He has the desire to get
of military units is designed in a way museums of a new sort started in all
which is very like the ISOTYPE system countries: MUNDANEUMS, | that is,
(see Picture 37). These pictures were museums of man’s development. The
made for experts who had no training in GESELLSCHAFTS- UND WIRT-
the art of design, so they gave true and SCHAFTSMUSEUM IN WIEN with its
108 109great picture book GESELLSCHAFT do with any words or any signs which are
UND WIRTSCHAFT was ready to give not clear, it will make use of one picture
help in this undertaking. The chief work language. The purpose of this new
of the Gesellschafts- und Wirtschafts- encyclopaedia, which is only an addition to
‘museum was the building up of a system of other encyclopaedias, is to give all men a
rules and signs, The MUNDANEUM common starting-point of knowledge, to
INSTITUTE THE HAGUE and the make one united science, forming a
INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR connection between the special sciences
VISUAL EDUCATION took this work to and putting together the work of different
a further stage, and are now in a position nations, to give simple and clear accounts
to make international picture books and of everything as a solid base for our
get international museums and an inter- thoughts and our acts, and to make us
national teaching organization started. fully conscious of conditions in which we
When all this will be possible, however, are living. This encyclopaedia will be
is dependent on the education of public all the time in the process of growth, like
opinion; the first conditions necessary society, science, and language themselves.
for such developments are given by the What the science of reasoning has done to
outcome of the ISOTYPE work. make possible such a uniting of the
At this time the idea of an international sciences and to give one word language to
encyclopaedia is coming once more to the all the special sciences, the ISOTYPE
front. The ISOTYPE system and the system has done to make possible one
encyclopaedia are equally part of the language of pictures which will give the
work of the Mundaneum Institute, and same sort of help to the eye for all the
there seems to be a very important special sciences and for persons of all
parallel between them. The encyclopaedia nations.
will make use of one language for all
sciences, it puts out all feeling—all words
for right and wrong—from the account of
science, it will have as little as possible to
110 iWIRTSCHAFTSMUSEUMS IN WIEN”
SOME VIEWS ON ISOTYPE with the name “ GESELLSCHAFT UN
Dr. H. von Bracken, when he was WIRTSCHAFT.” There is a secret in it.
teacher of psychology in a German high- These Viennese had a feeling for the
school, made tests with the ISOTYPE connections between play and learning.
book “GESELLSCHAFT UND WIRT- How does a man get knowledge? Nobody
SCHAFT,” with the help of a young is able to say. A baby gets twenty times
university man. He made the discovery more knowledge in his first five years
that two and a half times as much is than a normal person from 30 to 80.
kept in the memory with the help of Probably theonly way oflearningis
through
ISOTYPE pictures as when other pictures play. That is to say, at the base of every
are used. learning process there is some sort of
Dr. Goransson, chief of the Statistics playing with a thing, a regular but at all
Office in Géteborg, Sweden, after having times elastic, free operation with a thing—
made a journey to get new inventions and this carefree behaviour does not come
wider experience for his work: “The naturally in later years, and that is what
most interesting developments in the art makes learning so slow and hard then.
of making picture statistics are to be seen I first got an idea of how strange the
at the GESELLSCHAFTS- UND WIRT- mind's operations are in learning when
SCHAFTSMUSEUM IN WIEN. Its I took the old Basedow in my hands.
system is giving us a completely new way Tt made me say to myself straight
of puting before the general public away: Yes, that certainly is a good way
statistics, and specially the science of to put before young persons the facts as
relations.” they are, so that they will get them into
Willy Haas, a judge of books (" Lite- their heads. There is enough free invention
rarische Welt,” 12, 12. 1930): The in it and enough fixed system; it is so
greatest surprise for me this year was pleasing and so serious, giving desire for
possibly the “ bildstatistische Elementar- knowledge and knowledge itself, that one
werk des GESELLSCHAFTS- UND does not take one’s eyes off it before
2 13.getting it by heart. I had the same you never will with dead numbers and
feeling with this book of statistics, and letters,
whenever I take
a look at it, Tam conscious A School-Group (a teacher’s account):
of the strange attraction of these coloured “Oh, good, we get something again from
signs. The book is not cheap—but if you the coloured book.” Men, coloured signs
have the desire to make a 20-30 years old ‘on them. “ We saw them before. It is the
man who is interested in present-day same unit, every one 100 million men.” To
questions happy for a number of long see again these men they had in memory
‘winter nights—give him this, seems to be pleasing to them. “ But what
A Teacher : Every picture may be the are the signs on them?” One of the boys
interesting point of long and fertile says: “It is clear to everybody, those
discussions in a school group. with a red wheel have machines.” “But
Another Teacher : Even slow groups of the blue hammer?” They are reading:
learners came awake and had a surprising ‘old form of art and learning, handwork,
amount to say when the pictures were farming, ‘ What is that?” " They may
put before them with some words to make not be so far in development.” There is
them clear, The boys themselves made something more, green archer’s in-
statements which would never have strument, Long discussions on these three
come into their heads if only numbers or forms of living, in connection with st
only words had been put before them. they have a memory of. What these forms
Learner (having seen the museum) : I are, where they are in existence . . "Are
never would have gone into this museum not parts of such old forms still here with
or had a look at these pictures if the us? Even the first stage? Getting in
pictures themselves had not made me do berries and other fruits and plants from
so. The thoughts of the onlooker come the wood...”
into motion automatically. When you see
before you a sign or a picture without any
account of what it is about, you have the
desire to see the point ; and you see it, as
14 15Orro Neurarn: Museums of the Future.
‘Survey Graphic, September, 1983.
WRITINGS ON ISOTYPE
Orro Nevrara: Bildstatistik, Tidskrift for
By Orzo NeuRaTH Gotsborgs Stads Tjinsteman, Nr. 9, 1934,
Anp wis Institutes (in Swedish)
Orto Nauraru: Isotype en de graphiek. De
BOOKS
Detver, 1935, Nr.2. (In Duteh).
Gesellschaft und Wirtschaft. Bildstatistisches
Elementarwerk, 100 farbige Bikdtafeln, 90
Texttafeln. Verlag Bibliographisches Insti-
‘tut,
A. G, in Leipzig, 1990.
Technik und Menschkeit. Hele1: Die Maschine,
Heft 2: Die Elektrisitat, Heft 3: Der
Verkehr; je 8 farbige Bildtafeln und 1
Texttafel. Deutscher Verlag fir Jugend
und Volk, Wien-Leipzig, 1992.
Die Bunte Welt, Mengenbilder fir die Jugend,
Artur Wolf Verlag, Wien, 1929.
Wereldverkeer, Van Stockum und Za., The
Hague, 1934, (In Dutch),
Or1o NeuRaTH: Bildstatitik nach Wiener
‘Methods in der Schule. Deutscher Verlag fit
‘Jugend und Volk, Wien-Leipzig, 1883.
Orro Neuratn, Basic by Folype, Kegan Paul,
1936,
SHORTER WRITINGS
Orro NeuRaTH: Gesellschafts- und Wirt-
schaftsmuscam in Wien, Osterreichisehe
Gemeindezeitung, 1925, Nr. 16.
Orzo Neurata: Das Sachbild, Die Form,
5, Jabrgang, Heft 2and 6, Jahrgang, Heft 6
Orzo Nevranii: Bildhafte Padagogike im
Gesellschafts- und Wirtschaltsmuseum in
Wien. Museumskunds, Neue Folge, Il,
Hett
3
116 7 
Isotype Archive