Semiotics Contd and Visual Comms - Week 5 PDF

CM4203 Visual Comms Semiotics: the science of communication signs Visual Communication and Information Design Communications - definition  The science and practice of transmitting information  Communication studies is about how human meanings are made Persuasion  Logos (appeal...

CM4203 Visual Comms Semiotics: the science of communication signs Visual Communication and Information Design Communications - definition  The science and practice of transmitting information  Communication studies is about how human meanings are made Persuasion  Logos (appeal to logic)  Pathos (appeal to emotion)  Ethos (appeals to credibility)  The Communications Process Context Media Media Sender Sender Encoding Encoding Message Message Decoding Decoding Receiver Receiver Noise Noise Context Context Feedback Feedback Response Response Context Saussure, Ferdinand de  Swiss linguist (1857–1913) who laid the foundation for many developments in linguistics in the twentieth century. He perceived linguistics as a branch of a general science of signs he proposed to call semiology, but is now generally known as semiotics. Its central notion is that language can be analysed as a formal system of organized difference. Barthes, Roland  French social and literary critic (1915–1980), whose writings on semiotics made structuralism one of the leading intellectual movements of the twentieth century. In Eléments de Sémiologie (1964) Barthes systematized his views on the 'science of signs' (based on Ferdinand de Saussure's concept of language and analysis of myth and ritual). C.S. Peirce  The idea of ‘unlimited semiosis’ – implies that it is impossible to determine the final and absolute meaning of signs.  StuartHall – dominant readings / negotiated readings Semiotics analysis for beginners! | How to read signs in film | Roland Barthes Media Theory (y outube.com)  Denotation – literal, obvious and common sense meaning of a sign  Connotation - The term 'connotation' is used to refer to the socio-cultural and 'personal' associations (ideological, emotional etc.) of the sign. Concepts / signs  Culture – shared conceptual maps, shared language systems and codes  Bothwords and pictures carry meaning and have to be interpreted.  Codes – provide a framework for interpreting signs Review: Anchorage  Images are prone to multiple meanings and interpretations. Anchorage occurs when text is used to focus on one of these meanings, or at least to direct the viewer through the maze of meanings in some way. Review: Lapsed signifiers (read the Rachel Lawes article) Polysemy A word having several meanings is called ‘polysemantic’  "Bank": of a river/canal, a place to deposit money, a slope etc. Stuart Hall – Reception Theory  Dominant reading (preferred reading)  Oppositional reading  Negotiated reading Codes  Codes ‘perform an identifiable social or communicative function’  Broadcast code – uses terms / concepts that are familiar to many  Narrowcast code – ‘aimed at a defined, limited audience’ (Fisk) Broadcast codes  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rouDIzhg VcY A generic presidential campaign ad   Doyou know what is meant by Absolut Rosebud?  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP0O1BK u3zk  Intertextuality  refersto the various links in form and content which bind a text to other texts. Each text exists in relation to others.  Intertextuality  refersto the various links in form and content which bind a text to other texts. Each text exists in relation to others.  Example: Memes endlessly circulate and recirculate within the cultural economy  “Julia Kristeva said intertextuality was a “mosaic of quotations” where “any text is the absorption and transformation of another”. Roland Barthes also argued “a text is made of multiple writings” because writers “blend and clash” existing meanings. Books are not written in a vacuum. According to Foucault, they are “caught up in a system of references to other books”.” Intertextuality Intertextuality Intertextuality  The meaning of a text owes more to other texts than the writer who puts their name to the work. Codes  Codes are interpretive frameworks which are used by both producers and interpreters of texts. In creating texts we select and combine signs in relation to the codes with which we are familiar 'in order to limit... the range of possible meanings they are likely to generate when read by others'  Codes organize signs into meaningful systems which correlate signifiers and signifieds. Codes transcend single texts, linking them together in an interpretative framework. Judith Williamson (1978)  Important analysis of Chanel No. 5 press ad – juxtaposes a bottle of the perfume with the face of Catherine Deneuve.  “Within conventional codes and constructs of femininity, Deneuve stands for a classical, elegant, French ideal of female beauty. These meanings are transferred to the bottle of Chanel so that the latter comes to connote (and indeed promise) this kind of beauty” Brandscapes – we consume signs as much as commodities Sex and the City movie (2008)  Date: 30 May-5 Jun Studio: New Line Weekend gross: US$57.0 M Featured brands: adidas, American Airlines, Apple, Bag Borrow or Steal, Bang & Olufsen, BlackBerry, Bluefly, Botox, Buddakan, Burberry, Carolina Herrara, Cartier, Chanel, Christian Dior, Christian Lacroix, Christian Louboutin, Christie's, Clean & Clear, Crayola, Cuisinart, Cup Noodles, Dell, Desert Pepper Trading Co., Diane von Furstenberg, Dove, Duane Reade, e.p.t., Entertainment Weekly, Escada, Ford, Four Seasons, Garnier Fructis, Gucci, Harvard University, Heinz, Hello Kitty, Henri Bendel, Hermès, Hershey's, HSBC, IWC, Jergens, Junior's, KeyFood, Kit Kat, Lanvin, Lincoln, L'Oreal, Louis Vuitton, Lumi, M&M's, Manhattan Mini Storage, Manolo Blahnik, Marie Claire, Mercedes, Merrill Lynch, MetLife, Montegrappa, Motorola, Netflix, New York Magazine, New York Post, New York Public Library, Nike, Nivea, Oscar de la Renta, Page Six, Pantene, Piazza Sempione, Post-It Notes, Prada, Pret a Manger, Princeton University, Roger Vivier, S. Pellegrino, Salvatore Ferragamo, Scoop, Skyy, Smartwater, Sony, Sprint, Starbucks, Swarovski, Tiffany & Co., TV Guide, U-Haul, Uniden, Van Cleef & Arpels, Vera Wang, Versace, VitaminWater, Vivienne Westwood, Vogue, Wall Street Journal Comments: Sex and the City bangs its way to the top of the box office as Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha surround themselves in luxury brands as they navigate love lives complicated by infidelity, misunderstanding, and changing needs  Next:  Visual Communication – a problem-solving business practice  VisualCommunication is a problem-solving practice which uses image and text to communicate an array of messages that can be personal, cultural or commercial. The key elements of visual communication are typography, illustration, photography, interactivity and the moving image. Visual Literacy  Visual literacy is the ability to both create and interpret visuals.  Like words, visuals often carry connotative or symbolic meaning.  Nearly every aspect of visual design is governed by conventions that set audience expectations.  Brandscapes – we consume signs as much as commodities Encoding your own communication  Visual Communication:  Audience  who are they; what do they know already?  Purpose  think of it as your goal  what should this communication accomplish?  Context  the communications environment  Intertextuality – how has an image been used before  where and how will the users receive the communication? Purposes of visuals  To clarify  To simplify  To reinforce  To attract  To impress  To unify Midterm Exam on Thursday, 17 October 2024 @1pm  Theexamination window opens at 1pm and closes at 1.35.  These are MCQs and ‘Select all that apply’ style questions.  30 questions in 30 minutes Topics  Fundamentals of Communication  Perception / Intrapersonal Communication  Emotional and Social Intelligence  Workplace Communication  Semiotics / visual communication Sample Question: Summary Visual communication and graphic design are important tools within business communication – key elements are typography, illustration, photography, interactivity and the moving image.