Iconometric Perception of Human Body Representation for Theme Communication Shreejit Guha , Varuna Semwal , and Debkumar Chakrabarti Abstract Consideration of body portrayal for theme representation in design appli- cations has been subjected to various methodologies as per applicability. For physical utility-oriented designs, anthropometric standards have been widely used. However, for various applications where communicating the character is a prime concern, the metric standardization has often shifted to the artistic measurement standards followed in iconometric traditions. Though the two standardization scales are based on different application practices, anthropometric and iconometric considerations are both significant in character communication to render relatability and visual pleasure to the character design. In order to understand the Indian anthropometric dimensions and iconometric considerations, this study sought to explore the possibility of relation between the two measuring methods concerned with design applications and how the audience perceives proportional changes between assorted body parts to present characteristics. To explore the impact of such measurement systems in design appli- cation, character designs were made with the application of both metric systems concerning expressive themes from Nava Rasa (Nine Emotions) tradition of Indian aesthetics to render public perception of aesthetics appreciation. By considering both intangible conceptualization and tangible human dimensions, this study sought to bridge the gap between artistic expression and scientific measurement for better character communication and applicability in various design applications. Keywords Characterization through illustration · Human body dimension · Iconographic perception S. Guha (B) · V. Semwal · D. Chakrabarti School of Design, UPES, Dehradun, India e-mail: shreejit.guha@ddn.upes.ac.in © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2025 A. Chakrabarti et al. (eds.), Responsible and Resilient Design for Society, Volume 2, Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-96-6511-2_13 151