Try drawing a picture that conveys telepathy, the ability to communicate through extrasensory means. How about telekinesis, the power to manipulate objects with the mind. Tricky, right? Now do it using only simple geometric shapes.
Fardan Munshi did just that, creating 16 minimalist posters that describe gravity manipulation, elasticity, transmutation, and other superhuman powers we'd love to have. He was inspired by Philographics, the simple postcards Genís Carreras created to explain complex philosophical concepts, and named his series Supergraphics in homage.
Some of his designs are obvious. Time travel, for example, and flight. Others are more abstract. Telepathy uses two circles and a pair of vesicae piscis to evoke overlapping eyes. “Telepathy is the mind’s eye, not just vision,” Munshi says. Metamorphosis features four circles layered atop pinched ovals, which, together, form an image that resembles a butterfly. “That’s the animal that goes through the most stunning metamorphosis,” he says.
Munshi chose shapes with cultural associations. Circles represent unity. Diamonds convey strength. Hourglasses suggest the passing of time. Although each illustration includes a short explanation, Munshi says “Ideally, these should work without the label." Not all of them do, which might say more about the obscurity of some superpowers than the quality of the graphics. But each of them works superbly alongside its description---a heroic feat in its own right.
