Based on extensive archival research, this open-access book offers a fresh perspective on the early history of Isotype and pictorial communication, with new information about largely unknown episodes during its development.

The pictorial script Isotype (International System of Typographic Picture Education), originally conceived as the Vienna Method of Pictorial Statistics, evolved through numerous publications and exhibitions in the early 20th century. Christopher Burke and Günther Sandner illustrate how its development adapted to different cultural and political climates at a time when the idea of a universal language—an artificial or planned language—was linked to notions of internationality and democratic planning. This book thoroughly examines the early pictorial statistical works conducted at Austrian institutions during a new era of visual education and communication during and after World War II for the first time.

The works of the initiators of Isotype—Otto Neurath, the founding director of the Social and Economic Museum in Vienna, the artist Gerd Arntz, and Marie Reidemeister, who took on the role of the 'Transformer,' a prototype of the modern information designer—are explored in this book, challenging existing notions of an enormously influential pictorial language. The book is richly illustrated with over 60 examples of works by significant figures and provides a comprehensive history of Isotype, along with critical reflections on its legacy and relevance to contemporary design practice.