When searching for the term isotype in the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ), we will notice that the concept is not part of the publication. However, its use is quite frequent in our language; It appears above all in two contexts: in the field of design and in the field of biology .
The idea of isotype can be used to name the iconic part in the graphic representation of a certain brand . This is the drawing or symbol that is used to represent it.
The isotype does not require additional data to refer to what it represents: that is, no words need to be written for it to make sense. The objective is that, at first glance, it generates a reference to the brand in question in the observer's mind.
An example of a very popular isotype is that of Nike , known as “swoosh” or “pipa” . This creation by the American Carolyn Davidson was presented in 1971 : the designer was inspired by the wings of the goddess Nike , who is part of the universe of Greek mythology. When someone comes across this isotype, they immediately think of the footwear and clothing company.
Having seen the bases of the definition of this term in the field of graphic design and advertising, we must point out that there are three others that are often confused, given the similarities in their meanings and their application in the market. These are logotype, imagotype and isologue .
First of all, it is necessary to clarify that when we want to refer to the visual representation of a brand in everyday speech, most people resort to the word logo ; In fact, it is even more common to shorten it to turn it into a "logo." This can cause problems if we are talking to someone who masters this and the other concepts, since their meaning does not always serve to define what we are mentioning.
The logo is, in effect, the graphic representation of a brand, but it must be composed only of letters (or, at least, typography ). The four colored squares that we associate with the Microsoft brand today are not a logo, although the word written in its particular font is.
As long as there is no element that cannot be read in the company's original language, we are dealing with a logo, even if it is a signature or an acronym (the Ford brand used to have a signature, and the MSI company uses an acronym).
Then we have the imagotype , which is the combination of a pictographic element (a drawing ) accompanied by text. The brands LG, Jaguar and Kyocera are three clear examples.
Finally there is the isologo , which merges an image and text into a single element. Just think of Intel, Nissan and Starbucks coffee to have three examples that do not give rise to confusion.
In short, when we are faced with a graphic representation that refers to a company and does not have text of any kind, that is, it does not contain symbols belonging to any alphabet and, therefore, no one can read it, we can say that it is of an isotype. The Apple apple is one of the most famous.
For biology , isotypes are the different classes of antibodies : substances that an organism produces in the presence of an antigen, reacting against its action.
Each isotype refers to an immunoglobulin (protein that is part of the immune system). The various isotypes display amino acids in a chain, always arranged in the same way. Using isotypes it is possible to carry out reliable tests since all members of the same species respond to them in the same way.