Lecture 1...Notes

Semiotics - The study of meaning

• Theory of signs and the study of meaning.

• Signing is vital to human existence because it underlies all forms of communication

• Within semiotics, anything that is used for human communication is defined as a sign: gestures, facial expressions, poetry, rituals, clothes, food, music, morse code, marketing, commercials, film etc.

• Signs are important because they can mean something other than themselves

Eg.      - Stop means Stop              - Stop also means Danger
           - Apple means Apple         - Apple means Healthy
           - Crown means Crown       - Crown means Royalty

• Interpretation of a sign is dependent on the context in which it is used, its relationship to other signs and its environment.

• Mundane way of changing the context is visiting another country, the context of the sign changes.

• There are numerous relationship that can exist between signifier and signified. We can have the same signifier with a different signifieds and a different signifiers with the same signified.

Eg.       Signifier:       Signified:
            - Apple         -  Temptations
            - Apple         -  Healthy
            - Apple         -  Fruit

• Signifier - image and word. Context can change the meaning.

• Icon: The signifier is perceived as resembling or imitating the signified. A pictorial representation. Eg. A picture of a cat

• Index: Connection that points towards it's object. Eg. Cat foot print

• Symbol: Has an arbitrary relationship between the signifier and the signified. This can change depending on different languages. It must be learned and agreed upon Spoken or written words are symbols. Eg. The word Cat. 

• Metasymbol - A symbol whose meaning transcends the tangible realm of simple one-to-one relationships. History, culture and tradition all play a role in  creating metasymbols. Eg. A dove with an olive branch as a symbol for peace.

• Denotation and Connotation

• Optical and perceptual life, graphic forms have symbolic life as signs, symbols and images that combine with one another to convey a message to the viewer.

• Denotation - (picture of a wine glass 'martini' Eg. Direct meaning of a word, sign or image

• Connotation - meaning (picture of wine glass represents 'good night out') second level of meaning , conveyed or suggested in addition to the denotation. Eg. graphic design - changing context and meaning by changing the font of something.

• Metaphor - implied comparison between teo similar or dissimilar things that share a certain quality. Eg. Simile - we say z is LIKE y but with a metaphor we say that x IS y.

• Logo - Nike
• Logotype - Nike (word)
• Mark - (the tick)

• Different aspects of a 'logo'….Visibility, application, distinctive, simplicity/universality, colour, descriptiveness, timelessness (doesn't look dull or outdated), modularity (keeping information seperate), equity (when changing the logo you try and keep all the same elements of the old logo when designing the new one),