Icoon

For me, this is the perfect illustration of the phrase 'a picture's worth a thousand words' - Icoon, a wordless universal phrase book, recently published in Germany.

This small book divides essential everyday symbols into twelve different catagories so 'regardless of whether you need a toothbrush, safety pin or swimming trunks, want to explain hayfever without using words, ask how to chagne money or are trying to rustle up a replacement battery for your camera's light meter, Icoon speaks the world's most universal language: pictures' (Icoon).

I spotted this in a bookshop and just thought it was a great idea - the book is small, light and easy to use, with simple illustrations that are easy to understand and recognise. I guess some people may argue there is no need for such an item as English is becoming an increasingly Universal language; but there are still so many times when you are abroad or in an unfamiliar situation and communication becomes a barrier - Icoon illustrates how visual communication can be used as a tool to solve communication problems. Its a quirky, fun idea but also a great concept, with a use and a solution to an everyday problem.