Pictoplasma, a collection by the eponymous Berlin-based project around Peter Thaler and the first-ever documentation of modern character design, presents a comprehensive overview of this truly global graphic language and illustrates the remarkable status figures (the picto element) with lively traits and faces (plasma) have achieved in our society, culminating in a visual feast. As likeable, global identifiers they act as indispensable mediators in the era of multimedia, serving purposes as diverse as branding, logo design, game design (Pokemon, SuperMario), web design, icons or mascots. Selected from more than 6,000 excellent entries, Pictoplasma offers both independent artists and corporations an international platform. Countless styles and techniques divide the figurative images into freehand drawings, vector, pixel, encyclopedia and 3-D styles, gaining in complexity during each respective chapter. From cartoon to collage, from graffiti to PopArt - Pictoplasma lends the world of characters a new face.