Semiotics - Types of Signs/Images

Whether you realize it or not, there are signs all around us. The blue plastic with the white text on the outside of the restroom is a sign; the logo on your shirt is a sign; even the letters you are reading right now – they are all signs. So, yeah, you get it – pretty much everything you’ve ever laid your eyes on is a sign in some way. Now, would you believe that there are different types of signs? Well, in this article, I will introduce the different types of signs that are associated with semiotics and how to distinguish between them…just in case you wanted to know.

The first type of sign that I am going to talk about is what we call an iconic sign/image. This is basically an image of what something really is. Below is a photo of an apple, and nothing else. That is the iconic image.

Furthermore, iconic images involve more denotation as opposed to connotation. What exactly do those words mean? “Denotation is the first order of signification: the signifier is the image itself and the signified the idea or concept--- what it is a picture of” (Bybee). “The term ‘connotation' is used to refer to the socio-cultural and 'personal' associations (ideological, emotional etc.) of the sign” (Chandler). One’s connotation of a sign or image can be affected by their own personal gender, age, ethnicity, etc. 

Using the image of the apple from above, I will explain further the meanings of 'denotation' and 'connotation'. On a denotative note, it is an image of a red apple. On a connotative note, the red apple may represent sin or warning to the viewer.
(The image above was taken by myself in the photography lab on campus, for the purpose of this blog entry, on December 9, 2009.)

So now that I’ve explained denotation and connotation, I shall introduce the second type of sign – symbolic signs/images. Symbolic images are described to have no real-world connection to what they represent. The image below is a great example of a symbolic image - Chinese characters.

You are correct if you guessed that symbolic signs involve more connotation than denotation. Written languages are not often comprehended by outsiders of a particular culture or society, so it would make sense that the combination of letters/strokes and words/characters can only be perceived by members of that certain society - therefore making text very symbolic.
(The image above was created by myself in Photoshop, for the purpose of this blog entry, on December 9, 2009.)

The last type of sign/image is what we call 'indexical'. What this is, is evidence of a transcendental relationship between an object and a scene. In other words, it signifies that something or someone was there before and that it did something to create the outcome in the image. The image shown below is of tracks in the snow.

This image is indexical because it shows that something, or rather someone, was there before, and that this person walked through the snow to leave the tracks we see now. There is also another element that contributes to the indexicality of this image. Can you figure it out? The leaves on the ground indicate that there is a tree somewhere nearby, and that the leaves at some point fell off the tree.
(The image above was taken by myself on campus, for the purpose of this blog, on December 9, 2009.)


There isn’t really a denotative or connotative perspective to indexical images, however, what one person sees in an indexical image and what they think it means may certainly differ from another person’s way of seeing and understanding it. This also brings up the issue of how to even tell the difference between a denotative and connotative perceiving. “Whilst theorists may find it analytically useful to distinguish connotation from denotation, in practice such meanings cannot be neatly separated. Most semioticians argue that no sign is purely denotative - lacking connotation” (Chandler).

Citations

Bybee, Carl. "Semiotics & Structuralism." J388 Communication Theory and Criticism. 08 1999. Web. 9 Dec 2009. <http://jcomm.uoregon.edu/~cbybee/j388/semiotics.html>.

Chandler, Daniel. "Denotation, Connotation and Myth." Semiotics for Beginners. 11 26 2008. Web. 9 Dec 2009. <http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/sem06.html>.

Additional

http://www.uvm.edu/~tstreete/semiotics_and_ads/terminology.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semiotics

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iconicity

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indexicality

Laws of Gestalt Psychology

Have you ever heard about how your brain can sometimes behave in a way that you can’t physically control? Let’s say you are looking for red shoes on a jumbled clearance rack at the mall, and just because your aim is to find red shoes, red shoes are all you seem to notice. How about when you see a painting of a beautiful woman whose feet are not in the painting, but it is always assumed that she does in fact have feet. These examples, and more, of behaviors of the brain are referred to as “a school of thought that looks at the human mind and behavior as a whole” (Van Wagner) – the Gestalt Psychology theory.

Scholars of Gestalt Psychology have broken down the subject into several laws, which separate visually-specific psychological behaviors into different types. These laws are the Law of Similarity, the Law of Pragnanz, the Law of Proximity, the Law of Continuity, and the Law of Closure. See below for examples and descriptions of each law.

Law of Similarity

This law is self-explanatory – it is when your brain tends to group things by similar shape, color, etc, so all one notices is the grouped objects. The behavior shown in the red shoe example from earlier would be considered a law of similarity.

Here is a photograph that displays a perfect example of grouping by similarity, as the different film-developing apparatus are grouped together by type. Now, imagine if all of these objects were mixed together in a random mess - it definitely would not be as aesthetically pleasing.

Law of Pragnanz

Meaning "good form" in German, “this law holds that objects in the environment are seen in a way that makes it as simple as possible” (Van Wagner). Moreover, it "identifies an organizational tendency, a way in which the human brain decides that things go together" (Dewey). The easiest way to explain this is with the aid of the images provided. In the first photo, what shapes do you notice first?

On first instinct, one would see an outer circle, followed by a slightly smaller inner circle (both outlined in red in the middle photo).

On the other hand, I don't think that anyone would say that the shapes created by the rectangular holes in the drain (outlined in blue in the bottom photo) are the first shapes they notice.

This is a great example of the Law of Pragnanz.

Law of Proximity

This law describes the way we tend to group objects by how close, or proximal, they are to each other. In this example, the folders in the columns are grouped by how close they are to each other (we can also see grouping by similarity from the colors).

Law of Continuity

This law says that we will always want to see some sort of smooth, continuing path between lines or other elements of an object or image. In this image, there is an aesthetically-pleasing element.
If you couldn't find it right off the bat, I have provided another image (below) that outlines where the Law of Continuity can be seen.

Law of Closure

This law is very interesting, as it describes how we tend to ignore insufficient or missing elements of an object or image by “filling in the blank” with what we expect or, rather, “know.” The feet in the portrait example as mentioned above would be considered a law of closure. The image I have provided as a visual example has a subtle example of the Law of Closure.

In the top image, you can see that some of the clock has been cut out of the frame. In the bottom image, I have filled-in with red what would have been part of the clock - but...you probably already knew what was there in the first place, even though you can't actually see it. This is what the Law of Closure describes.

(All original images above were taken by myself for the purpose of this blog entry on December 2, 2009 in the photography lab in the LNCO building)


Citations
Van Wagner, Kendra. "What is Gestalt Psychology?." About.com. 2009. Web. 9 Dec 2009. <http://psychology.about.com/od/schoolsofthought/f/gestalt_faq.htm>. 

Van Wagner, Kendra. "Gestalt Laws of Perceptual Organization." About.com. 2009. Web. 9 Dec 2009. <http://psychology.about.com/od/sensationandperception/ss/gestaltlaws_3.htm>.

Dewey, Russ. "Laws of Pragnanz." Psych Web. 2007. Web. 9 Dec 2009. <http://www.psywww.com/intropsych/ch04_senses/laws_of_pragnanz.html>

Additional

http://psychology.about.com/od/sensationandperception/ss/gestaltlaws_4.htm

http://psychology.about.com/od/sensationandperception/ss/gestaltlaws_5.htm

http://psychology.about.com/od/sensationandperception/ss/gestaltlaws_6.htm

Basic Steps to Good Graphic Design

The recent advancement in technology has really put visual communicators to the test. “Although the principles have been around for decades, the increasing complexity of today's world has led more and more people to go visual” (Coomber). Graphic artists, for the most part, are expected to design effective graphics that grasp an audience by means of eye-pleasing aesthetics, pertinent color schemes, and meaningful semiotics. However, today’s graphic artists are often found facing difficulty in creating fresh graphics more than they ever have before. With that said, how exactly can a graphic artist create a fresh graphic with ease? Simply put, it’s not exactly possible because creating any kind of sign, logo, or image that is intended to have an audience takes a lot of brainstorming before a design can be finalized into reality. However, with the right routine, graphic artists can follow a plethora of guidelines to help them through the process.

The first step within every guideline is to determine a graphic’s target audience. Who will the image be aimed at specifically? For one, the graphic artist is not the audience. It is very important that a graphic is designed to appeal to a particular set of people, so the graphic artist must resist the urge to design for him or herself. Ansel Adams once said that “there's nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept.” What he said couldn’t be truer. “A good signage program is more than well-designed signs containing accessible and relevant information positioned at appropriate decision points; it is visual language that creates an accessible, transparent information system” (Dwight). If a product is clearly aimed towards young girls, like dolls for example, then there should be no reason to design a product graphic that features a masculine super-hero. If this happened, it would definitely cause mass confusion amongst the consumers – especially if they are too young to even read.

Speaking of reading, it has been agreed upon that humans in general do not have the patience to try to comprehend complex text if they don’t have to. The most effective graphics or logos contain little-to-no text whatsoever. “Each person we want to reach perceives their time to be at such a premium and of such great value that we need to get our message across with great efficiency. Images and text should serve as tools to increase understanding; the goal should always be to communicate a lot, using as little as possible” (O’Mara-Croft). The graphical aspect of a graphic should also follow this rule, which means that it shouldn’t contain more than 20 graphical elements. “We are all over-whelmed, and visual thinking and the parallel trend of simplicity are gaining momentum” (Coomber).

The last part to designing a graphic is choosing its color scheme. Since a simple graphic is an effective graphic, a simple color scheme is also necessary. It is important to know how much is too much – anything beyond two to three colors for one graphic is generally considered too complex. One of the most common types of color schemes is the triadic color scheme, which “uses three colors, equally spread around the color wheel” (Watrall, and Siarto 171). The best example of the triadic color scheme is red, green, and blue. When choosing a color scheme, it is also sometimes fun to incorporate certain colors based on their psychological effects on human beings. “Color has long been used to represent affiliations and loyalties and as a symbol of various moods and qualities” (“Color”). Some examples of this: red can be used to stimulate energy; yellow can be used to convey happiness; and green can be used to calm.

So before stepping up to the design plate, it is important to make sure that the all of the ideas for the graphic are relevant and not too complex. Have a select few of other people look at a rough draft and have them critique it – what works in the graphic and what doesn’t work? In any case, it also helps to do research and go out and analyze as many different graphics as possible to gain self-inspiration for potential artwork.

Citations

Dwight, Ernest. "Signs of the Times." American School & University 80.12 (July 2008): 38-40. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Marriott Library, Salt Lake City, UT. 29 Sep. 2009 <http://search.ebscohost.com.tproxy01.lib.utah.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=33567409&site=ehost-live>.

"Color." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition (Jan. 2009): 1-1. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Marriott Library, Salt Lake City, UT. 28 Sep. 2009 <http://search.ebscohost.com.tproxy01.lib.utah.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=39053063&site=ehost-live>.

Coomber, Ellen. "The Visual Advantage." Communication World 25.5 (Sep. 2008): 36-38. Communication & Mass Media Complete. EBSCO. Marriott Library, Salt Lake City, UT. 28 Sep. 2009 <http://search.ebscohost.com.tproxy01.lib.utah.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=34467929&site=ehost-live>.

O'Mara-Croft, Brian. "Every Picture tells a story." Communication World 25.5 (Sep. 2008): 22-25. Communication & Mass Media Complete. EBSCO. Marriott Library, Salt Lake City, UT. 28 Sep. 2009 <http://search.ebscohost.com.tproxy01.lib.utah.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=34467926&site=ehost-live>.

Watrall, Ethan, and Jeff Siarto. Head First Web Design. 1st. Sebastopal: O'Reilly Media, 2009. Print.

Additional Materials

http://psychology.about.com/od/sensationandperception/a/colorpsych.htm

http://www.logocritiques.com/resources/color_psychology_in_logo_design

Introduction

Having been involved with photography and web design for many years now, I would definitely consider myself an overall digital arts enthusiast. Ever since I took a required Visual Communication class in college for my major (Mass Communication) earlier this year, I have had an increasing interest in the subject. Seeing as there are currently not many sources on the internet discussing the subject specifically, I have decided to create a blog about Visual Communication.

So what exactly is Visual Communication? “Visual Communication, as the name suggests, is communication through visual aid and is described as the conveyance of ideas and information in forms that can be read or looked upon” (Wikipedia).The term ‘Visual Communication’ may have been created by scholars, but the practice of it is far from uncommon.  Whether it is by setting a frame up to take a picture, choosing red curtains for your living room, or arguing with a friend about whether or not Sarah Jessica Parker is beautiful, we have all practiced or experienced Visual Communication, in one way or another. With that said, I would like to try and cover the more interesting and generally relative Visual Communication areas such as aesthetics, semiotics, color theory, and basic design principles. Since visual perception is extremely subjective (everyone’s heard the saying “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”), I will also need to present the information in a way that is factual, as opposed to opinionated. That will definitely be harder than it sounds, but I’m already striving to do just that.

On a final note, my mission for this blog is to provide reliable information about these topics through use of text, to use visual examples as accompaniment to further increase the understanding of the texts, and most importantly, to fulfill the requirements of my final project for Comm3640.