HUMANTIFIC MAKING SENSE OF INNOVATION

Reappreciating:
Otto Neurath/
Isotype
By GK. VanPatter, Humantific Co-Founder

“Led by Otto Neurath [1882-1945], Isotype

was a pioneer in the realm of what we
know today to be Social SenseMaking.
In the tsunami of data visualizations being
generated today it is important to note some
fundamental differences.”

© 2015 HUMANTIFIC. All Rights Reserved.

 MAKING SENSE OF INNOVATION

From the Humantific Collection here are more early Isotype Institute “Close to our own
visualizations. Today in some circles, these might be referred Humantific work,
to as “data visualizations” or “infographics”, previously referred
to as “statistical graphics”, “picture statistics”, “pictorial statistics”,
in terms on social
“information design” and or “information visualizations”.☺ No change-making
shortage of terms now in play. If we want to use such terms these intention, we have
might be thought of as societal context infographics made with deep respect for
a specific, very practical purpose in mind.
the work of Isotype
Close to our own Humantific work, in terms on social change-making [International
intention, we have deep respect for the work of Isotype [International System of
System of Typographic Picture Education] Institute. Led by Otto
Typographic
Neurath [1882-1945], Isotype was a pioneer in the realm of what
we know today to be Social SenseMaking. In the tsunami of data Picture Education]
visualizations being generated today it is important to note some Institute.”
fundamental differences.

Much of what Isotype Institute was doing in the 1920s-1940s was

making sense of data in order to enable understanding, that would in
turn help to drive change at the scale of societies. Lets’ note that this
intention is very different from much of the trendy data visualizations
being generated on-line today, the purpose of which is often to drive
eyeballs to web sites in order to sell more corn flakes. Hey, nothing
wrong with cornfakes, but selling more is unlikely to help address the
many societal challenges facing us in our communities and on planet
earth. It was this type and scale of challenge that Isotype Institute was
engaged in.

www.humantific.com 2 © 2015 HUMANTIFIC. All Rights Reserved.

 MAKINGSENSE
MAKING SENSEOF
OFINNOVATION
INNOVATION

Isotype founder, social scientist and scientific philosopher, Otto

Neurath, in particular, was deeply interested in contributing to the
creation of a better, more unified world [“Words Divide, Pictures
Unite”] and had specific notions regarding how that might best be
accomplished. Neurath viewed societal change-making as an every
man & every woman kind of responsibility. One that required fuel.

Often not so well understood is the interconnected notion of designed

and deliberate inclusion underneath Isotype logic. Neurath and his
team conceived Isotype as an inclusive language. They recognized
that in situations were a wide audience is sought, more than words are
needed.

Applying the Isotype approach to the society of the United Kingdom,

the New Democracy book series circa 1940s [examples shown here]
was focused on making various complex dimensions of British society “Not only does
clear and engaging after the war. In this book the focus was on the
state of employment/unemployment. [The famous Isotype unemployed
the monumental
worker symbol created by Gerd Arntz appears.] Reading the stated body of Isotype
intentions of that series one can see early seeds of the modern Social Institute work stand
SenseMaking movement from the Isotype perspective. as meaningful
From the book Introduction: “Democracy will only live on and become and beautiful
once again a dynamic force if it can boldly turn those techniques and information design
discoveries [scientific advances] to its own purposes, using them to but it continues
put an end to unemployment, insecurity and want, and to open up new
to remind us that
frontiers of human life and freedom...This is a task which cannot be left
to the statesman and the expert. It is the individual responsibility of every data visualization is
citizen...but the citizen can only take an active part in that community if a powerful change-
he/she is properly informed about choices and possibilities before it. To making fuel that can
contribute to this body of informed opinion as a basis of social action, is be used in multiple
the purpose of this series.”
contexts.
Not only does the monumental body of Isotype Institute work stand as
meaningful and beautiful information design but it continues
to remind us that data visualization is a powerful change-making fuel
that can be used in multiple contexts. Many firms engaged in data
visualization today, including Humantific, continue to stand on the
shoulders of Isotype building forward into the future. Some seem
to understand the inclusion factor more so than others.

At Humantific we have, since our founding, vastly expanded upon the

underlying notion of inclusion, applying it to organizational culture
building, innovation process design, environment design, values and
behavior considerations etc. Today we view every aspect of enabling
innovation in organizations through the lens of inclusion, the seeds
of which were very much a part of Neurath’s Isotype approach.

www.humantific.com 3 © 2015 HUMANTIFIC. All Rights Reserved.

 MAKING SENSE OF INNOVATION

Of course today, not only is the data available vastly increased in scale, “Of course today,
but leading practices know that making complexity understandable is not only is the
in itself no longer enough, if the goal is to drive and actualize change.
Unlike the logic of the Isotype era we are today integrating a much
data available
deeper level of changemaking process skills into the changemaking vastly increased in
equation. Enabling inclusion is, in part, how we get this job done. scale, but leading
We believe this integration into sense-making, idea-making,
practices know that
decision-making, opportunity-making, change-making represents making complexity
the next meaningful wave of realizations just starting to emerge into understandable
mainstream consciousness in the so-called big data era. Without is in itself no longer
integration into change-making the promise of big data and data
enough, if the goal
visualization falls short.
is to drive and
Images Source: There’s Work For All, The New Democracy Series. 1945.
By Michael Young & Theodor Prager. 14 Diagrams designed by the Isotype Institute. actualize change.
Humantific Collection, New York.

[Note: This article was first published in January 2015 on G.K. VanPatter’s LinkedIn blog]

www.humantific.com 4 © 2015 HUMANTIFIC. All Rights Reserved.