isotype

One repeated icon stands for a fixed number of units, so quantity is shown by counting identical marks instead of measuring a length. Because the marks are countable, a reader gets the exact number and the rough size in the same glance, and small counts stay concrete. It stops working above a few dozen marks, where counting becomes measuring again.

One repeated icon stands for a fixed number of units, so quantity is shown by counting identical marks instead of measuring a length. Because the marks are countable, a reader gets the exact number and the rough size in the same glance, and small counts stay concrete. It stops working above a few dozen marks, where counting becomes measuring again.

Example

Best when the count is small, the audience is general, and you want the number to stay a number of things.