Signifier
(an object/gesture/signs in general)
and
Signified
(an idea/concept/a connotative suggestion).
We conceive an idea based on our experience, our environment, norms, lifestyle, and the way we perceive things. Thus, it's highly dependent on one's idea of a signifier to be able to interpret its meaning. In other words, the way we perceive things are influence by culture and may vary in many other places with different culture.
In most adverts, we are forced (mostly curiosity) to determine its connotative values by evaluating its relations between words, graphics and gestures on the ad. Some works well while some not so much.
Say Marlboro for instance, it depicts a western cowboy and associates it with freedom and the sort of lifestyle of the wild wild west. While it may be effective to a certain group of people, it may also be the complete opposite. It all comes down to how people view such lifestyle and relate them to their own.
In design sense, certain symbols or elements incorporated in the design embeds connotative values which are appropriate to its theme. Take this for example
It depicts a stylize version of a bun. It stimulates the idea that the place is a bakery and sells buns. The point is, semiotic has its job of hinting as well as nudging a person to come into a conclusion of what signs meant. After all, signs are so much simpler and delivers the message without clogging too much information.
Our brain has the automatic switch of associating images,sounds, text and colours to related elements.Even a simple shade of red or yellow has a meaning behind it as our brain tries to connect the dots. Some might take red to be the colour of violence,some of bravery. The images and colours go hand in hand to give our mind the impact the element intended.
ReplyDeleteWhen a signifier has been used, the person who use the signifier must make sure that the target audience understand the signifier. People from different background has different understanding. In order to deliver correct message, the person who use a signifier must understand their target audience.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, designing require understanding only semiotics signifier which the signifier must be understood by the audience in order to deliver the message to the audience. For the given example, the audience must be knowing breads, understanding it's shape, text, then only the sign can be understood.
ReplyDeleteWe all know the two important elements of semiotics are the signified and the signifier. Everyone can conceive different ideas from one sign as it based solely from their experiences and the influence of their culture. Therefore, the message in an ad can have more than one meaning viewed by different people and how they can relate it to their lifestyle.
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ReplyDeleteIn my opinion at the end of the day, an advertising agency needs to create an ad that is relatable to its audience. That's why they would create a few versions of the ad for the product to be advertised to the right market.
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