CoP Seminar: Semiotics

Semiotics is the study of signs and sign processes in our society that are based on social and cultural ideals. These signs can be fashion, subcultures, objects and colours that are in every day life. They all have deep meaning to us that has been ingrained in us as human beings for decades and often centuries. The meanings can often be ignorant; traces of sexism, racism and general bigotry lay in our society and how things work. However, semiotics are changing all the time as our society grows and expands in more ways than one.
The signifier is the object and the signified is the concepts associated with it. Denotation and connotation are terms that describe the relationship that is between the signifier and the signified. Denotation is a very literal definition of something, whereas connotation is the personal or socio-cultural assocations that come from a number of social factors of the interpreter. Connotations are developed from the society we live in and our attitudes and beliefs.
Connotations are different in every culture; red does not mean danger in some cultures, but in the western world it is used so regularly on road or warning signs. Red symbolises good fortune and joy in China. Fashion is ordered like a language; people who work in offices wear suits and ties, but why? Because this smart way of dressing is a code for convention. A tie is completely useless and serves no purpose except to signify authority or smartness.
Myths are often thought of to mean incorrect of false statements, but in the semiotic sense it means moreso how signifiers develop and create new meanings. Barthes has said that myths serve the ideological function of naturalization - they naturalize the cultural and objective reflections of 'the way things are'; popular beliefs and attitudes are made to seem completely normal by myths. There are layers of meaning to everything.
In graphic design, semiotics is an integral part of how we create things. We are using social and cultural elements to produce work that appeals to a wide group of people, so to be aware of the connotations attached to certain aspects of society is valuable. Being aware of semiotics can help us to change society's connotations with our designs, or take advantage of them.