Pictograms

The video I posted previously, Credit crunch, makes extensive use of pictograms. I was impressed with the simplification of both the problem and the subsquent simplification of the visualisations.
Therefore, I started to think about the way in which pictograms are often used to convey basic messages and almost always without any sense of expression. However, having the opportunity to add a sense of life, to basic black shapes, can result in a wonderful thing. As is shown by the pictograms at the Lighthouse design gallery in Glasgow, which add a sense of humour to their message.

Following on from this, I happened to look up the flickr group - Stick Figures in Peril. As I was interested to see what else was out there. This group has an incredible selection of pictograms, not all effective in conveying their message, which is essentially the aim of all pictograms.















This example which is titled,

Baby Jane and Blanche have become stickfigures in peril

was uploaded by sfrikken on 20 Feb 09, 12.03AM GMT.

I find it to be one of the more bizarre examples. However, perhaps this is because it has been posted completely out of context. As if I knew what the person on the chair was representing in real life, it could almost make more sense. As it is, I am struggling...and it looks like some poor person is being strapped to a chair then pushed down some stairs...not so unlike some indoor sledging we did once! Although, the more that I examine the image, the more I can understand and decipher from it.

Ultimately, I find pictograms somewhat fascinating....as I completed a graphics module once. Where one of the topics was pictograms and I was given the task of making a pictogram for an "ornothologist", "barmaid" and a "showgirl"...not a particularly easy task. Ultimately, I was happy with the results, (see below). Although they almost look more cartoonish, than picto's. But what the most important lesson was the process of elimination and simplification, to have the least amount of details and person to be instantly recogniseable to its viewer.
I guess this principle can be used throughout the design in process and not only in graphics, and perhaps that is why this class was so valuable.