Wildcard Wednesday (2) - isotype

This second Wildcard Wednesday extension activity post draws inspiration from a fascinating exhibition on isotype that I went to at the V&A in London over half term .

Isotype is an international picture language that was initially developed in the 1920s to present social and economic data in an accessible and understandable way.

Prior to the development of isotype, statistical data was often presented in a tabular form and meant little to most of the general public. However, isotype revolutionised data presentation, resulting in a way of presenting data that we are all very much used to today. You can find out more about two of the ‘leading lights’ of isotype here and here.

As part of an extension activity, students close to London could visit the exhibition (which runs until this coming Sunday).

There’s also a great opportunity here for those students who are good at statistics and art/design to develop their own isotype representations of current economic data - I’m going to run a competition with my extension class to see who can design the best isotype poster for my classroom walls.

A book by the wife of the original isotype designer covering some of the history and basic principles for designing your own isotype work can be found here on Amazon.