Semiotics Syntagm, Paradigm

Another aspect of semiotics is Syntagm and paradigm, below is what each are them are:

Syntagm: A single word or element of design that; when altered can change the overall meaning.

Paradigm: A group or related ideas that are interchangeable in a sentence or design, yet they still have the same collective meaning.

e.g.

The best way for me to show this theory is to design it, I did this quickly on illustrator but it shows this the best way, so the sentence is clear and simple it allows the reader to envision what is begin said which is a Paradigm, but when a Syntagm is changed it changes the sentence completely and as designers this is important, a cat sitting on a mat is one thing but change the mat to a wall, it’s completely different.

Another Image showing this aspect of semiotics in great detail:

 

Semiotics Poster Research

As a group, me, Luke and James need to create an informative A1 poster explaining semiotics, this poster will be with the independent newspaper, first off we all had some of our own idea’s but I always like to do a bit of research before hand, I began with looking into other possible semiotics posters.

This semiotics poster caught my eye, simply because of the layout, the images are very bold, this makes the viewer draw in, as much as I like clean and simple designs for a semiotics poster this one is missing a lot of information and aspects of semiotics which I think is needed, even if there not overly important?

Here’s another semiotics poster and this one is the opposite of the top one, this one features all of the aspects of semiotics which our poster needs I think, there are things that I like on this poster like the layout, it’s very informed and clean keeping semiotics in mind, the denotation and the connotation especially in mind, they have tried to keep the design as clear as possible to try to keep people’s denotation as true to the connotation as possible. The problem I see with this poster is for me there’s too much information, but as I wrote before I prefer more visual poster rather than text filled ones.

This semiotics poster is so simple but it works to me, the title is really nicely design but of our poster this is miles to simple and so far away from how ours needs to be, although using some nice detail in the title and the images may be visual intriguing, especial if they are all as part of a series using the same themes and style.

In class we have all been learning about semiotics and I would say that I have a decent grasp on the concept and theory of it, after looking at the these semiotics posters I really would prefer it if our poster was more visual and eye-catching than text filled, obviously the poster will need some text to explain the theory and different aspects of semiotics but this I would prefer to be kept to a minimum.

Semiotics Poster

Semiotics

(Title)

Semiotics is the theory and analysis of signs.

(Introduction to semiotics)

History:

Ferdinand De Saussure: (1857 – 1913)

Charles Sanders Peirce (1839 – 1914)

( The poster would need these two names and dates?)

Saussure was one of the first to think about semiotics in the early 20th century, he thought about the signifier and signified, while Peirce was looking at the theory behind the different types of signs at the same time, people have updated and added to they theory behind semiotics since.

(I don’t know how to write this part?, possibly 1 single paragraph about the history in brief?)

• Signifier is something that gives meaning.
• Signified is a visual or mental conception.

(Could possibly have an open sign? and a door opening? to convey meaning?)

• Denotation – A basic description of what the you see.
• Connotation – The meaning behind the image or what you think it means.

A sign is anything that conveys meaning

• Icons have a resemblance to the actual physical object it is resembling.
• Symbols are culturally learnt.
• Indexes don’t exist without certain circumstances created by objects and reactions.

(Multiply images for each sign?)

• Syntagm: A single word or element of design that; when altered can change the overall meaning.
• Paradigm: A group or related ideas that are interchangeable in a sentence or design, yet they still have the same collective meaning.

(Needs an image with a e.g. sentence)

Evaluation and Reflection:

1) Visual Communication:

In the brief we were asked to design 7 app icons and an app page set for a chosen app, my designs meet the visual communication/messages of the brief in several different ways, firstly I have created the correct piece required, I have thought about the semiotics, through the signs and symbols, simplifying my design down to a degree but still keeping them close the original making my icons – icons. Being honest my designs match the visual communication and messages of the brief spot on, the only thing I would say Is that I didn’t go out of the box too much with this project.

The strengths of the visual communication of the pieces I would say is the bright in your face, eye capturing colours and the icons, the colours were thought upon hard!, I wanted to keep the designs very monotone in the begin but later in the project I changed my mind and this was for good, making the icons stand out and different from my usual designs.

The weaknesses of the visual communication in my designs are that they are very simple and this isn’t normally a problem to me, but for my icons I just think there too simple and I don’t like them! They still need something in the background to make the background colours more interesting and unique to my app set.

The target audience for my apps I decided would be people between the ages of 20 and 45? Possibly, both sex and this is the reason I have designed my app like this, I wanted to keep them easily responsible but smart and function that I think my target audience would appreciate. Its hard for me to understand how the apps could be mis-read or mis-understood they are easily recognisable to me and to others that I have asked and all of the information is layed out simply and clearly.

The design could be developed to a stage a lot further than these, with more time and better insight into the programs I would have developed everything, the app pages would be developed to a stage that makes them suitable for generally anyone and the app icons would have a lot more detail in the backgrounds themselves and the icon images would be developed to have more detail and possibly more colours/shades.

2) Reflection of own working practices:

My time keeping slipped a bit for this project, I ended up design on the final day but this isn’t because I didn’t do the work idea’s I had just weren’t being translated to the computer correctly but this is interiorly my fault for not being prepared enough.

My analysis of the brief was good for this project I understood what I have been asked to do and what my final outcomes should be, I straight away researched which helped me understand the brief further and clearer. From me rushing in previous projects I have now realised how to do effective and clear research for myself and for others to read, I now know that it is important for me to put down my ideas clearly for myself to read later and for others to read.

I found it easier to draw conclusions from my research this time round because I knew what I was looking for and this them developed what I had already envisioned from my analysis of the projects brief, my research helped me see what visually worked and what didn’t and my research into my target audience gave me an insight into what other people thought about my initial designs.

I did experiment a lot in this project especially in adobe illustrator when I was initially designing my background and first template, I went through around 7 different starting designs but unfortunately things just didn’t work out but I was getting frustrated so I began to subtle my thinking down. I didn’t enjoy any of this project at all, I found it over stressful because certain things didn’t work and I wasn’t accustomed to this, app design just isn’t for me and I don’t think it will every be unless my skills in the computer program improve.

I found the actual designing phase on the computer hard for this project, I kept on getting frustrated with things not going right and idea’s in my head and on paper not being translated into the computer the way I had envisioned them.

I need to have a look at my skills in adobe illustrator, I found that I needed to ask and research about a lot of different tools for this project, So I need to develop my computer skills for designing like this.

 

Semiotics Signs Part 2

An Activity to help me further understand Signs in Semiotics:

So this task basically involves me collecting image for a certain object, item/ thing and I need to analysis them to figure out were the signs are.

Weather:

This image of lighting has more than just one symbols, I would say it has all 3 of the symbols, the icon is obviously the photo of the lighting, if someone has seen it before they can see what It is straight alway, if they haven’t seen it before they would have learnt through family, friends or school and finally the Index is that the lighting couldn’t be if there weren’t certain circumstances and occurrences.

The image features symbols of the weather and depending on a persons experiences the signs may vary, but these images feature a physical resemblance to the actual object, so this is the icons, but another person from another country may not realise this so this could be culturally learnt, so this is the Symbols in the image.

I have never seen a tornado, so this image for me Is a Symbols, I have learnt this through school and the media, but for others this will be an icon.

Clothing:

So moving onto clothing, I have decided to collect some very different images of people wearing clothing, I wanted to choose images of people who have been affected by their on ideology which has been determined through their personal experiences and teachings, beliefs and religions. So for me the icons in this image is obviously the man, I can see its a leather jacket and this is an icon and symbols to me but it can also be an index because there wouldn’t be no leather if the cow didn’t die. Through cultural learnings I have symbolised that the earing and the hat means to me that he is stylish?, possibly Hip Hop related, these are my ideals through how I have learnt my symbols.

Even through something a crude as this image I can see the icons are obviously the woman, the bag, the belt, the shoes, the animal print and the jewelry, through my cultural learning I have identified that the symbols are the clothing which I believe means she is wealthy and possibly a business woman.

Map:

A map Is a good piece of imagery to indicate the various signs, this is because it features all of the 3 signs, Below I will be listing them and saying why there are.

Icons: The water and green areas could be light icons because they still do feature slightly what they are, if someone is very open-minded and can easily identify things they could identify certain aspects of a map but without some symbols knowledge it would be hard for most of us.

Symbols: All of the typography is learnt so it’s a symbols along with the way to read maps, people aren’t born knowing this it is learnt, most of this map is symbols, the water is known as water because of learning this and it’s a slight icons aswell.

Indexes: ITs very hard to point out the indexes on this map but the one I know for sure is the bridges, there wouldn’t be bridges without the river, there wouldn’t be rivers without the water flow created by a possible gradient int he landscape.

Logo:

This Lamborghini logo features icons and symbols, the icons is the bull, it still has a physical resemblance to the animal itself, the logo it’s self could be an icon if a person has seen the logo in really life or possibly on the internet, The symbols in the image is the logo it’s self, this is learnt either through media or possible learning it some were else.

This Fred Perry Logo feature both Icons and Symbols, the icon is the top section of the logo which is a physical resemblance to the actual object it is made after and the symbols in the piece is the typography which is learnt in everyday life and in school.

This McDonald’s logo is the same as the fred perry logo, the sign it’s self is an icon if you have seen the logo before but the type is a symbol.

Semiotics Signs

Today I college we had another sit down to further our knowledge into Semiotics and this time it was into the different signs of Semiotics.

Signs:

Icons: A signifies that has a physical resemblance to the signified: Aka an icons that is very easily recognizable to the actual physical object it is resembling.

This could be certain signs like a male or female sign, a photography of a person and possibly a painting of a person, a car, a plane, everyday objects?

Symbols: Signifies are culturally learnt.

We have to learn their meanings, through our parents, friends, family, magazines, TV, everyday Life, Books, this applies to anything that Is learnt.

This aspect of Semiotics could be anything from sign language and languages to writing and sign reading.

Symbols don’t mean anything till you have learnt what they mean.

Indexes: Has a physical connection to the signified; Signifier only exists because the signified does. Aka something does exists without certain circumstances, objects or reactions.

This is like no smoke without something burning, no rainbow without moisture in the air and light passing through it, illness symptoms without the illness.

We had a task In college to go through a magazine and collect one of each, sometimes this can cross over so certain signs could feature more than one of the above:

This is the first that I found that had more than just one of the various types of signs, this one features icons because of the boat, plane and people but it also features Symbols like the taxi, park and train symbols.

This is the other that I found , if features all 3 I think, the Icons In this can be related to the bubbles and the clean product photographs, the symbols in this is all of the Typography and lastly the Indexes in this is the bubbles, the bubbles can’t be created without movement, water/ a liquid and possible the cleaning product.

 

Semiotics

So recently in college we got taught about Semiotics which basically is an investigation into how meaning can be created and how the meaning is communicated through a range of symbols and signs. Semiotics plays an important part in any design based media, especially graphic design, designers will use it to show how a viewer will interpret their design message, this helps a designer because it allows them to develop to get there target audience to correctly interpret the designs message.

Semiotics was first though up by Ferdinand De Saussure in the early 19th century, later in this century Charles Sanders Peirce updated the theory of Semiotics:
•Denotation – A basic description of what the person sees.
•Connotation – The meaning behind the image or what you think it means.

A quick task to help me understand Semiotics more:

I went on the internet and brief collected 2 adverts for anywhere for me to analysis the Connotation and Denotation for them both.

Denotation: What I see on this IPod advert is various IPod’s which are all different colours, the colours are dripping down for the IPods and each IPod features a different genre of music on the screen by the looks of it.

Connotation: What I think the advert is trying to say is “let your personality run”?, what I mean by this is don’t keep your self to your self, share and explore.

Denotation: On this WKD advert is see that there a several quotes from the brand and there is an image of their product.

Connotation: What I think that advert is saying is people who drink like kebab,”Which they do haha” but they are also implying that their drink goes well with this and the question they are asking makes the viewer think if they have a WKD side?.

 

Info Graphic 2013

Preamble & Objectives

Having spent the first two terms exploring elements of typography and graphic design we thought it would be beneficial now to consider how to resolve a more complex design problem. Graphic designers often work as part of a team on larger design projects, and this brief is written to enable you to explore and understand the needs and dynamics of working in a group as well as dealing with complex information (see Tufte’s book: Envisioning Information amongst others). Your group you will need to discuss and understand the task you are being asked resolve. You will have to divide your resources to research different aspects of the brief and because this is a team brief, you must be in attendance at college, unless your designated activities dictate otherwise. You should consider its resources, appropriately utilising the many individual skills within the group. Any decisions about the content and it finished presentation will be arrived at democratically by your group, and we will expect, as part of your submission, information about the devolution of these tasks within your group. There will also be an opportunity for peer assessment on completion of the project.

The Brief

The Independent Newspaper is producing a series of A1 information graphics posters about cultural theories.

Part of the academic information that you need to know and use as a designer is the theory of Semiotics. This can be regarded as complex.

Your brief is to design, as a group, an information graphic that explains the theory of semiotics as straightforwardly as possible. You should include background to the theory (who discovered it); what the theory consists of; how the theory is used (with examples).

You should use as broad a range of visuals as you feel is necessary to explain Semiotics to the Independent’s readership. Make your information graphics clear and understandable.

Outcomes

Specific and generic Learning Outcomes for this brief can be found on Moodle.  Each member if the group will be graded independently according to how their own evidence meets the learning outcomes.

Research

You will need to in your own sketchbook that you have grasped Semiotics. As well as this you should research information graphics in general, and newspaper information graphics in particular. You will need to show that you have researched techniques for visualizing the information.