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The origin of Men and Women

September 19th 2010

Mark Schofield

Marketecture, Senior Creative. Im generally one of the most senior ‘hands-on' creatives for a design project or creative campaign. Understanding our brands and also overseeing the supervision of other designers to help maintain the integrity of our work is as important to me as it is for our clients.

I have been bursting to know the origins of the Men and Women symbols we see in public places. I was suprised to find myself reading about a man named Otto Neurath, an Austrian Sociologist in the 1940s who quested himself with the task of creating a universal picture and typographical language, the International System of Typographic Picture Education (ISOTYPES).

His attempt to develop a standardized visual language comprised of over 3,000 symbols all designed towards a universal new language that would help break down the communications barrier between nations. Sadly Otto's utopian vision for a universal visual language never came to fruition but alot of what he achieved inspired what we see today in airports, public houses, museums.