Image one:
Contextual information:
Designer: Marina Sauri
Year: 2008
Purpose: Student work. Print advertisement for Veg Fest. The aim of the campaign is to encourage people to come to the festival and, more important, to promote and educate on a vegan, green, compassionate, healty and sustainable lifestyle.
Project made at EINA (Escola de disseny i Art de Barcelona).
Semiotic analysis:
An iconic reading of the lettuce sign can also be inferred: lettuce looks like a brain but also looks like lettuce. The signified of a brain icon is intelligence. So, the sign of the lettuce at most once means health and intelligence. This dual meaning within the one sign infers a syntagmatic reading of the sign within a connotive setting: 1) one should consider being a vegetarian as it is healthy, 2) to be healthy is to be intelligent 3) therefore, being a vegetarian is helathy and intelligent.
Image two:
Contextual informaiton:
Advertising Agency: Ruf Lanz, ZurichCreative Directors: Markus Ruf, Danielle LanzYear: 2014
Purpose: Print advertisement for the famous German vegetarian restaurant Hiltl.
By melding the two signs together, a tension and contrast between the signified of each sign (Carnivore, vicious, wild, uncontrollable versus a timid vegetarian) is created when read syntagmatically, which engenders humour eg. a wild animal would curb its appetite for meat for this restaurant.
Anchorage: Text reads: “Since everyone likes to eat vegetarian”. Text fixes the image’s meaning from ‘photoshopped tiger’ to ‘vegetarian tiger’. The deeper connotive meaning: even natural carnivores would turn vegetarian for this restaurant.
Comparison between image one and two:
Each condone vegetarianism through the contrast between different signs. Image one uses the sign and symbolism inherent with an icon of a lettuce shaped as a brain to connect vegetarianism to health and intelligence. This is achieved syntagmatically by reading the signs separately then together to form meaning, which is also fixed by the use of the word ‘think’.
Image two connects vegetarianism to good taste: again, when the signs are read syntagmatically, the tension created by the contrasting signified between ‘carnivore’ and ‘herbivore’ communicates the ad’s deeper meaning.
Both ads utilise ideological ideas of health, intelligence and good taste to convey positive readings of vegetarianism. As a designer, picking apart ideological assumptions and tying them together with positive connotations (image one) or humour (image two) can creatively underpin a design to make it effective, as seen above.
Week 3 Semiotic Analysis On August 12, 2015 By Kim BrookfieldIn Kim Brookfield, Semiotics Leave a comment
Student Name: Kimberley Brookfield
Topic: Week 3 Semiotic Analysis
Image 1: Estee Lauder Advertisement
Contextual Information:
Photographer: Victor Skrebneski
Model: Constance Jablonski
Product: ‘Pure White Linen’ women’s fragrance
Year of creation: 2006
Collection/ Company: Estee Lauder
Genre: Advertisement
Format: Single-page Magazine spread
Image origin/ URL: http://www.perfumes.com.ph/store/products/estee-lauder-white-linen-edp- perfume-women-60ml
Image 2: Dior Advertisement
Photographer: Tim Walker
Model: Natalie Portman
Product: ‘Miss Dior’ women’s fragrance
Year of creation: 2013
Collection/ Company: Dior
Genre: Advertisement
Format: Single-page Magazine spread
Image origin/ URL: http://www.dior.com/beauty/en_int/fragrance/womens-fragrance/miss-dior/fr-missdiorfpl-miss-dior.html
Comparative Analysis:
Both advertisements use young women in opposing ways to represent the product – in the first image the woman’s qualities and her lifestyle transfer signified meaning to the
perfume, whereas the second image uses the woman and the consumer’s previous knowledge of the Dior brand for the same purpose.
While both advertisements use text to anchor the meaning of the image, the first image relies more heavily on text to link lifestyle to the product. Alternatively, the second image uses only the product name and the consumer’s already established knowledge of the brand to suggest that the product is for younger women who subscribe to the Dior brand identity.
In both advertisements the womens’ eyes are the focal point that draw the viewer in and lead the viewer’s eye around the image (both advertisements syntagmatically construct meaning spatially across the page).
While the first image uses syntagmatic construction to promote a lifestyle associated with wearing the perfume (i.e. the lifestyle of the beautiful young woman living a luxurious holiday is associated to the feeling of wearing the fragrance), the second image uses syntagmatic construction as a personification device (i.e. the attractive young woman (who is sexy, flirtatious, confident and playful) is Miss Dior and Miss Dior is also the perfume)
Lessons and Design Insights
Anchorage is an effective tool to fix the meaning of an image, especially if the viewer cannot rely on previous knowledge of a brand or celebrity
Social indicators aid in syntagmatic construction and contribute to creating a more complete narrative – in my design practice, I would adopt the approach in image one over image two as creating a clear scene further informs the meaning of the image.
Use signifiers and signifieds to advance the meaning of the image – do not incorporate irrelevant signs as this can confuse the meaning and distract the viewer
Week Three: SemioticsOn August 11, 2015 By dxb402designtheoriesgeorgiaIn Georgia Spencer, Semiotics Leave a comment
Semiotics Image 1: Pepsi Advertisement
Contextual Information
Title: Come to Life Ad Campaign
Dimensions: 736 × 1062
Date: 2015
Purpose: Print Advertisement, Campaign
Publisher/source: The Silver Ink, Accessed, 4th August 2015, http://www.thesilverink.com/pepsico-is-developing-a-new-au-naturel-soda-that-will-come-in-pineapple-cream-flavor/23849/
Focal point = the liquid drink in the IV packaging Company logo used twice, helps viewer remember poster and company. Denotive: liquid, gives you energy/make you feel better. Symbolic Sign: The slogan can represent if you drink this you will feel more alive
Weaknesses:
Mixed message on what the IV represents
Wording: 2 meanings, getting better or gaining energy.
Semiotics Image 2: Coke Life Advertisement
Contextual Information
Artist: Jessica Tan
Dimensions: 600 × 849
Date: 2013
Purpose: Print Advertisement
Publisher/source: Coroflot, Accessed 4th August 2015, http://www.coroflot.com/jessica_tan/ecoca-cola
Green = healthy Denotive = healthy and good for you
Paradigmatic meaning, with the other traditional coke ads using the colours black and red, the coke brand is trying something different with these new colours like green and using an environmental approach.
Strengths:
Colour and wording both give visual representations.
Eco Friendly logos and wording help to give this drink more emphasis on better for people and environment.
High Quality image of daisys gives a feeling like you can touch or smell them.
Similarities:
Drink brands promoting a healthier drink Both use company logo twice (viewer can easily remember ad) Using imagery and texts to draw the viewers attention Denotive meanings used in visual and text representations.
What I have Learnt:
The use of text/anchorage within an image can help give the viewer more understanding on what the advertisement is trying to portray. Anchors within an image can be as simple as text or image
In my own practice in creating an effective drink ad poster, i would use a lot of these key elements to justify why viewers should drink this over other drinks. I would also make sure the visual techniques i am using don’t give the viewers mixed messages. Research on campaigns or charitable work can help to make your ad more effective and can show viewers that you have done research. This can be the difference between choosing your company over another.
Week 3 – Semiotics On August 8, 2015 By amandaszallasiIn Amanda Szallasi, Semiotics Leave a comment
Image 1:
Name: Nivea Retro Advertisment
Company: PONDS
Year: 1954
Purpose: Print Advertisment
Image 2:
Name: Ponds Outdoor Billboard Advertisment
Company: PONDS
Year: 2007
Purpose: Billboard Advertisment
Week three: Semiotics definition On August 7, 2015 By sblackhallcainIn Semiotics, Sophie Blackhall Leave a comment
Source: https://brucewilsongraphics.files.wordpress.com/
Saussure’s (1916) discussion of the sign:
Sign: a basic unit of language which consists of two parts that are only distinguishable at an analytical level.
Signified: concept or object, eg. the actual image.
Signifier: sound or an image that is attached to a signified. eg. qualities inherent in an image.
(Gillian [quoting Saussure] 2001, 74)
Peirce’s three kinds of signs:
Icon : A likeness to the actual object “Looks like… = icon of”, eg. apple, maps, toilet signs
Index : inherent relationship between signified and signifier (refers to object through causal link) eg smoke infers fire. “Caused by”
Symbol: arbitrary relationship between the signifier and signified eg flags represent countries, colour represent feelings, convention constructed by dominant ideologies. eg words. Doesn’t look like it.
(Gillian [quoting Peirce] 2001, 74-78)
Text works on another level to construct meaning:
Anchorage: fixes the context of an image and anchors the image’s meaning (Bathes 1977, 38 – 41). Text leads the way in how you interpret images. Narrows the image’s meaning.
Relay: text complements the image; like television. Gives further meaning to image (Bathes 1977, 38 – 41)
Signs (representation): can be made of signifiers and signified, and are made up of:
Denotive: describe what you see (Seevinck 2015)
Connotive: Higher level meaning. Metaphors. Looking at things through a lens. Why text aides can be important. Uses what we know from experience or social relation to construct meaning. (Gillian 2001, 82).
You can structure signs in relation to each other:
Paradigmatic – Deriving meaning from contrasting sign to other signs. Look for what it is NOT. (Gillian 2001, 78)
Syntagmatic – Sentence: string of meaning. Spatial closeness can inform sign meaning. Principle of proximity: can transfer meaning. eg sophisticated actress next to perfume makes perfume sophisticated. (Gillian 2001, 79)
