Sports isotype.

Isotype, basically a specific language of pictograms, was developed by Otto Neurath in the 1920s. Initially intended for use in the education of children, isotype has since seen many applications in the field of infographics. I first became aware of the immense potential for isotype after seeing this incredible graphic by the New York Times. After a bit of thinking, I came to the realization that the marriage of sports statistics and isotype is a wonderful opportunity for some informative graphics.

So the first step was the creation of my little sports figures. I don't have a very strong background in icon or symbol design, so this process had its difficulties. But here are the results:










I've also thrown together a couple small graphics that show the potential application of these graphics, so I'll post those soon. In the meantime, here are few more isotype resources I found particularly inspiring. First, a neat post with lots of retro maps and isotype. Second, an article about Neurath's artist and partner, Gerd Arntz. Third, and a little unrelated but equally inspiring and in the spirit of isotype, a collection of all the Olympic pictograms used since their introduction in 1964. And as an added bonus, here are the new pictograms for the Vancouver 2010 winter games.