How can I develop a system to translate ideas into Ideograms?

Question

I am in the process of creating some infographics for some design thinking methods. I need to translate sometimes complex (but with common themes) ideas into visuals.

To put it a different way, why does it, when you see an arrow pointing right, indicate that you should go or look right?

Answer 1

Short answer:

1. Use cultural conventions and associations. There are millions, humans soak up conventions. The shape of arrows are a convention, as are warning signs, 'save disks', etc. Spot and use them.
2. Consider affordances: if something looks like X can be done with it, looking at it brings to mind X.
3. Make sure the symbolism goes the right way. It's never "What imagery comes to mind while I'm thinking about X?", it's "What imagery brings X to mind?". Very different (much harder!).
4. Simplify the image. A good exercise I was taught is start with a 16 x 16 grid: any deviation from those grid lines beyond connecting grid corners with straight lines or curves must be essential.
5. Test it. Show people, ask them to talk about what they see and what they think of (no clues!)
6. Test it again. You could mix up symbols and labels to see how easily people can match them up.
7. Test some more.

Longer answer: the design of signs, symbols and pictograms is a whole field of study in its own right. Some starting points...

• There's some good historical background here (esp re Otto Neurath and Gerd Arntz)
• The book Pictograms, icons & signs: a guide to information graphics is worth a look.
• Visual Language for Designers and Design For Information are also good for more general information design principles.
• Universal Methods of Design probably has some relevant workflow suggestions (I don't have it to hand to check right now though).
• As Boblet mentions the field of semiotics is related. It's more academic: more about analysing symbolism and theorising than using symbolism, but worth a look if you get very interested.