Nice little article on designing symbols / icons with some theory from Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics.

Jochen Gerner, “Pixies Raw Materials”

Love this book.

via @deanmeistr (photo via)

The Little Man: The San Francisco Chronicle’s Rating System

The only rating system that makes any sense is the Little Man of the San Franciscio Chronicle, who is seen (1) jumping out of his seat and applauding wildly; (2) sitting up happily and applauding; (3) sitting attentively; (4) asleep in his seat; or (5) gone from his seat….The blessing of the Little Man system is that it offers a true middle position, like three on a five-star scale.—Roger Ebert

On the occasion of the Little Man’s 50th birthday, Goodrich recalled it was just another assignment that he dashed off quickly, noting, “I’m surprised (it) continued.”…Goodrich, who died last year, once recalled that a woman (possibly a disgruntled actress) once hit him on the head with her umbrella and said, “I hate the Little Man!”

The Little Man pose in between the politely applauding and the snoozing Little Man was redesigned in a microscopic makeover: the “alert viewer” Little Man’s expressionless mouth was tweaked with a slight upturned curve, to indicate a hint of a Mona Lisa smile, suggesting a vague amusement. His raised eyebrows indicate interest but not quite approval, denoting mixed feelings. After artistic spinal fusion, he also sat up more alertly, signifying a mixed review.

All of this came after Talmudic editorial discussions about the meaning of the enigmatic No. 3 Little Man: Did his indecipherable gaze indicate intrigue or ennui? Polite diffidence or glazed-eyed apathy? As a Datebook editor noted, “He’s the middle child, and the most unmanageable.”

Plewds - Flying sweat droplets that appear around a character’s head when working hard or stressed.

Briffits - Clouds of dust that hang in the spot where a swiftly departing character or object was previously standing.

Squeans - Little starbursts or circles that signify intoxication, dizziness, or sickness.

Emanata - Lines drawn around the head to indicate shock or surprise.

Grawlixes - Typographical symbols standing for profanities, which appear in dialogue balloons in the place of actual dialogue.

Indotherm - Wavy, rising lines used to represent steam or heat on hot objects — however, the same shape found over a hot apple pie or something else strong smelling is a wafteron.

Agitrons - Wiggly lines around an object that is shaking

Blurgits, swalloops - Curved lines preceding or trailing after a character’s moving limbs

Hites - Horizontal straight lines trailing after something moving with great speed, or indicating reflectivity (puddle, glass, mirror). Likewise, up-hites would be lines above an object falling.

Lucaflect - A shiny spot on a surface of something

Dites - Diagonal, straight lines drawn across something flat, clear, and reflective, such as windows and mirrors.

Solrads - Radiating lines drawn from something luminous like a lightbulb or the sun.

Vites - Vertical straight lines indicating reflectivity (compare dites, hites).

collection of isotype posters

by Charles E. Martin, published in The New Yorker January 28, 1961