As humans we create meaning in our everyday lives. When we
see a stop sign we understand that, that means stop.
The manner in which we
create meaning is done through the identification and study of signs, this is
called semiotics. Semiotics is very much a study of language as well, since so
much meaning derives from the written word.
A sign can be described by an equation:
signifier +
signified = sign
Signifier and signified I believe were best described by
Daniel Chandler in his writings of Semiotics for Beginners. A signifier
is said to be “the form which the sign takes” where the signified is said to be
“the concept it represents.” (Chandler. Signs)
So we use the stop sign analogy: the color red + the word
stop + the octagonal shape (signifiers) + Red means danger + word stop means
stop + octagon shape is a warning (signified) = Stop sign (sign)
Signs require other signs in conjunction, in order to develop
meaning, which is the idea of codes.
Codes explain why signs make sense; they are our reasoning
behind developing meaning.
Though semiotic analysis may seem complex it is extremely
important to success in various fields of work, for instance advertisements are
always directed towards a certain audience and are trying to present a product
in a certain light. By using certain
images and colors or even music these are the signs they are using to create
meaning for the viewer.
For example you could produce a semiotic analysis for
McDonalds and develop an interpretation as to why the advertisers chose the
colors they did and how we know that a sign in a McDonalds sign, what
characteristics signify that it is in fact a McDonalds.
You would look into the letter M, the color yellow, the word
McDonalds and so on.
Meanings and interpretations are never ending, because we
spend our lives interpreting what’s around us.Semiotics can define success and by studying it and
understanding the reasoning behind interpretations we get closer to
understanding humans and thought processes.
Links:
No comments:
Post a Comment