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