Semiotics

Introduction to semiotics

Study of signs:

Definition of codes

• Rules or conventions by which sign are put together to create meaning.

Codes help us have a sense of understanding of something. 

We learn that sounds or images can be put together in particular sequences, working as codes to give us a particular meanings.
For example the English language is a code, words make up sentences and sentences make up paragraphs.

The basic unit of meaning, at least in Saussure’s version of semiotic, is a sign.

All signs have two aspects, signifier and signified.

The signifier:

Is any material thing that signifies, e.g., words on a page, a facial expression, a picture, a bit of graffiti.

The signified:

Is the concept that a signifier refers to. For example, the letters on the screen spelling "rose" would be the signifier, and the signified would be the concept of the particular flower (not the image above, but the concept in your head).

                                                                                

The word ‘semiology’ is derived from the Greek word semeion, which means

sign.

Semiology concentrates primarily on the text itself and the signs and codes that are contained within it.

The above picture is an advert by Givenchy called 'Xeryus Rouge'. First thing that strikes you about this advert is the perfume bottle, which is red. The color red is one of the oldest color names and has many meanings. It could connote danger, war and blood but in this instance, due to the actions of the couple in the background, it connotes love, passion and lust. The fact that the background is in black and white creates contrast and makes the perfume bottle stand out, making it feel like its a desired object. This could make the consumer feel like if they are to use 'Xertus Rouge', they could get lucky themselves.