What is semiotics? Illustrate with some examples.
Semiotics is an investigation into how meaning is created and how
meaning is communicated. Its origins lie in the academic study of how signs and
symbols (visual and linguistic) create meaning.
It is a way of seeing
the world, and of understanding how the landscape and culture in which we live
has a massive impact on all of us unconsciously.
Semiotics Explained:
Our actions and
thoughts – what we do automatically – are often governed by a complex set of
cultural messages and conventions, and dependent upon our ability to interpret
them instinctively and instantly.
For instance, when we
see the different colours of a traffic light, we automatically know how to
react to them. We know this without even thinking about it. But this is a sign
which has been established by cultural convention over a long period of time
and which we learn as children, and requires a deal of unconscious cultural
knowledge to understand its meaning.
Viewing and
interpreting (or decoding) this sign enables us to navigate the landscape of
our streets and society.
Everyone is a
semiotician, because everyone is constantly unconsciously interpreting the
meaning of signs around them – from traffic lights to colours of flags, the
shapes of cars, the architecture of buildings, and the design of cereal
packaging.
And signs don’t only
need to be visual – they can be aural or sonic signs too, such as the sound of
a police siren, usually heard before the vehicle is seen.
We know for instance
that the following sign in the West means everything is OK. This can be dated
back to its alleged use by Roman emperors to signal whether a gladiator would
live (hence be OK). Its reverse – thumbs down – signified death.
But in scuba diving
this sign means go up to the surface, and by the side of the road it means you
want to hitch a ride.
In other words, we
need to understand the context in which a sign is communicated in order to
comprehend its real meaning, and hence act appropriately. What is going on
around the sign is usually as important for us to know as the sign itself in
order to interpret its meaning.
Semiotics started out
as an academic investigation of the meaning of words (linguistics), it moved
into examining people’s behaviour (anthropology and psychology), then evolved
to become an enquiry into culture and society (sociology and philosophy),
following that it moved onto assisting with analyses of cultural products
(films, literature, art – critical theory), and finally and more recently
became a methodology for researching and analysing consumer behaviour and brand
communications.
We can apply the
high-level thinking of semiotics to enable clients to understand the commercial
implications of the culture around their brands and its impact upon consumers.
Ultimately, we can assist with the development of culturally relevant brand
strategies and meaningful communication (packaging and point of sale).
