Semiotics: Sign,
symbol, signifier
Sign: When an image has a ‘sign’ it often means it is
associated with a process or action. We have known specific signs for both an
‘on’ and ‘off’ button, as well as ‘play’ and ‘pause’.
Symbol: How something externally has been physically
represented. The Apple logo is obviously not an actual apple, but it has been
made into a symbol.
Signifer: A given connotation that goes with the
aesthetic. An example could be that the Apple logo signifies simplicity,
modernity and innovation.
Visual....
Metaphor – a
linguistic understanding.
Metonym - is
a figure of
speech used in rhetoric in which a
thing or concept is not called by its own name, but by the name of something
intimately associated with that thing or concept.
“work the
metaphor. Every object has the capacity to stand for something other than what
is apparent. Work on what it stands for.”
Visual Synecdoche
– applied when a part is used to represent a whole. Eg. The statue of liberty
is used to represent the whole of New York. Quite simply, the main subject is
substituted for something that is inherently connected to it. This substitution
only works if that synecdoche represents is universally recognised.
Visual Metaphor:
It is used to transfer the meaning from one image to another. Although the
images have no close relationship, a metaphor conveys an impression about
something relatively unfamiliar by drawing a comparison between it and
something familiar. PUB QUIZ MOMENT: The “big apple” image was produced in the
60’s to almost “rebrand” New York, with connotations of being healthy, fresh,
and the underlining thought of temptation.
Visual Metonym: A
visual metonym is a symbolic image, that is used to make a reference to
something with a more literal meaning. For example, a cross may be used to
signify a church. By way of association, the viewer makes a connection between
the image and the intended subject. Unlike a visual synecdoche, the two bear a
close relationship, he but not intrinsically linked.
15 years ago, this joke wouldn’t be understood,
but todays audience would understand it straight away.
- How form and anatomy of type.
- Control meaning and create better communication.
- How to deliever messages within messages - create contradiction and meaning.
