(Week 01) Discussion Semiotics
Introduction
Semiotics, the study of signs and meaning-making, is deeply embedded in every visual communication you encounter. Grounded in the work of Ferdinand de Saussure (who introduced the idea of the signifier/signified dyad) and Charles Sanders Peirce (who developed the triadic categories of icon, index, and symbol), this field provides essential tools for understanding how designs communicate via more than just images or words.
On this page, you'll explore these key concepts:
- Signs & Semiosis: How any element—visual or textual—can carry meaning intentionally or intuitively.
- Syntax & Syntactics: How signs relate to each other in structured systems, which is central to organizing visual hierarchies.
- Contrast: A design principle that also operates semiotically, helping to differentiate meanings and guide interpretation.
- Icon, Index, Symbol: Peirce’s categories describing how signs connect to what they represent—by resemblance, association, or convention.
Does it matter?
Yes, this talking about how we "talk" through images, and symbols allows us to be more critical about them, and effective in our creation of images.
Why does it matter?
Understanding how people have talked about the making of meaning through images, symbols, and signs allows us to be part of that meaning making. That is to say, it helps us to understand how to be human:
("Barbie becomes Human - Barbie 2023 from Filmthusiast on YouTube)