Symbol, index and icon are created by an American polymath Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914). The symbol, index and icon triad remains as a tool of analysis at the core of semiotics. This typology emphasizes the different ways in which the sign refers to its object. A sign can be a symbol, an icon, an index and also any combination of them.
An icon is directly related to what it represents, the meaning is immediately evident and it can be smaller part that represents the whole. Icons have the qualities that resemble the object they magnify. Icons are influenced by the cultural conventions of the place that they originated. As an example, we will all understand what the icon means if we are from that place that the icon originated. If we did not know or understand that place/society's culture, we might not know what the icon means.
An index is a sign that directly points to the message or instruction. An index is connected with an object in a very real way. It is like a fragment from the object that we wanted to bring out. As an example, when we see an "EXIT" signboard, it leads us to the exit. The board is directly indicates us that the exit is there.
A symbol does not directly represents the meaning. Association is needed in order to get the meaning of the symbol.Therefore, the audience will need to have the knowledge to lead the symbol to it's meaning. As an example, when you see Wolverine, people who do not know anything about X-Men will think that it is just a some kind of Superhero character. Only people who know about it will associate it with X-Men and Wolverine.
As said earlier with the signifier and the signified, our mind can only process what it knows or has interest in, like the case of Wolverine. Our mind cannot retrieve information that isn't there in the first place, like the knowledge of X-Men,or simply the mere existence of it. Unless it's and image with the text 'Wolverine',then it will be an index therefore useful and informative to the viewer
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of sending a pictogram of the human civilization to space and by any chance it is intercepted by aliens, they would get a slight understanding of our existence. I doubt if they could grasp man based on the drawing to scale or knew that we do exist. It's just so intriguing!
ReplyDeleteit really amazing to have a deeper understanding on how our mind works with images and how we can relate to them. this is because most of the time people can relate to a certain image but they do not comprehend how or why they are able to relate to a certain image or symbol when others can't.
ReplyDeleteIcons, indexes and symbols are all inter-related in a sense, that a sign can make up of a few of the above mention. There are so many signs out there and it is up to us how we see and understand it's message behind it.
ReplyDeleteThe invention of Symbol, Index & Icon really help alot on visual communication in simplified medium which can be easily related to the ideas which was ment to be presneted.
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