Countries, cities, facts & figures

Using customised icons, humorous details and informative diagrams, Michael Bierut and Britt Cobb have brought a highly acclaimed book to life.

A Country of Cities: A Manifesto for an Urban America, written by architect and urban planner Vishaan Chakrabarti, argues that well-designed cities are the key to solving many of the country’s challenges, from the sluggish economy and imperilled environment to rising public health costs and growing social inequality.

Bierut and Cobb used their experience and knowledge in graphic design to establish a clear, coherent framework that showcases the author’s manifesto. While Chakrabarti makes his case in words, the Pentagram designers intelligently transformed them into a series of 100 diagrams and infographics.  

The charts and diagrams visualise important statistics on various issues, from rising childhood obesity rates to the cost comparisons of running errands by automobile versus public transport. The infographics are a tribute to the Austrian scientist and sociologist Otto Neurath and his theory of Isotype (International System of Typographic Picture Education), a system for communicating complex ideas with pictorial diagrams. 

The highly readable book was recently selected as one of Designers & Books’ 10 Notable Books of 2013.