St Michaels
'The Way It Works' 1980
Includes incredible cross section diagrams from a wide variety of tools and machines from throughout time.
I love the bright abstract style introduced to visualise and understand complex machinery.
The Human Body: What It Is and How It Works, 1959
Stunning science book from the late 50s looking at the human body. Illustrations are clear, vibrant and memorable.
Isotype children’s books by Marie Neurath 50s-70s
Clear diagrams with simple but descriptive symbols and icons, communicating lots though minimal detail.
Minimal colours, use of patterns and tones to make use of a minimal pallet and add texture.
Marie and Otto Neurath's work as said by the guardian - 'dreamed of a world where communication would be streamlined with universal symbols'.
Images from MS DOS game ‘Transylvania’ released in 1986.
Lovely example of early computer graphics for Microsoft and IBM, showing images made with only black, white, cyan and magenta.
Images from the ‘Computer Graphics and Art’ magazine (various editions from ‘76-’80.)
Shows development in bit-based image creation to process visual information - using bitmap and ascii.
“The magazine of interdisciplinary computer graphics for professional graphics people and computer artists”
Educational diagrams directed at children.
Usually make use of a variety of image types eg 3d diagram, shapes and arrows, drawn illustrations.
Hans Kappler
Paper Cutting used in children's book.
(Kindergarten material based on the educational theories of Friedrich Froebel)
1920