The Use of Semiotics in Understanding and Interpreting Images - Essay Example

Semiotics in understanding images Abstract In the society today, people are exposed to many visual objects especially images. Images are shown in the media through televisions or even through advertisements on billboards. The images used carry a lot of meanings than even the message written on them. This paper describes and discusses the use of semiotics in understanding and interpreting images. It uses examples of images seen in the modern society today. Most of the images are derived from magazines because they consist of the trend of fashion today in the society from the kind of drinks being taken, the jewelleries and the kind of clothes that people put on. The paper analyses three images which are derived from the magazines which talks all about fashion. Introduction In the society today, an audiovisual culture has developed and is slowly superseding the reading and writing culture. Images are seen in cinemas, magazines, posters, books, newspapers, TVs, clothes and on computer screens. This develops a need of understanding and interpreting the meanings of images. Ideologies, myths and connotations are mostly embedded in images making it difficult to understand. To achieve this, semiotics is used in analysing the innate understanding and meanings behind images seen in the society today. This is because semiotics puts an emphasis on the communication of visuals and the kind of system that dominates the images being presented. Semiotics is an apparatus that is associated directly with the existing culture or trends in a society. Fashion today and the images presented by what people put on from clothes, shoes, hair style and jewellery may be difficult to understand. This is because of the many features that it has. However, the images created by what people put on convey a lot of information about the characters, attitude and moods of individuals. Advertisements also use images which carry a lot of message about the product being advertised. In the society today, advertisements are mostly used to introduce fashion to the society which keeps on changing over time. The semiotics theory explains that advertisements involve images that trigger emotions, feelings, moods and attributes. This is achieved by the use of objects which create images in the minds of people. Adverts use images which connect objects with the real life to clearly pass the message needed. Advertisements are mostly used to signify, represent people and use objects that are mostly desired by people. Images carry volumes of information and needs critical and conscious analysis to understand the message being passed across. Semiotics can effectively be used to understand and interpret the meanings hidden behind images (Darley, 2000). Semiotics involves three main structural parts which are the sign, the meaning and the people who uses it. Semiotics uses signs in trying to find the hidden meanings behind images. A sign has two parts which are inseparable: the signifier and the signified. The signifier expresses the sign itself and its connection to the real world while the signified carries the main idea or notion which is evoked by the signifier. There are several categories of signs used depending on the kind of image that is being interpreted. One of them is the iconic signs which seem to have a likeness to the real image. These signs are mostly used in visual images. Diagrams also play part in showing the relationship between objects and their parts. Semiotics also involves the use of indexical signs which functions by drawing attention on the appearance of an image. Symbolic signs on the other hand by representing a real object or the use of objects to express emotions or to pass a message. The delivery of messages in semiotics is achieved through the development of codes and its use (Bernard, 2001). Signs used in semiotics are either connotative or denotative. These terms are used to describe the relationship between the signified and the signifier. The meaning of an image is identified through denotation and connotation. Denotation involves the direct understanding of an image as it appears. Connotation on the other hand is meaning derived from the intervention of people. Connotation focuses on how and image is presented while denotation focuses on what the image is. The interpretations of denotations are direct as they are viewed by individuals while connotative signified are derived from looking at the meaning hidden behind an image. With the use of signified connotations and signified denotations, it becomes easy to understand and interpret images as they are presented (Bernard, 2001). Semiotics also uses codes to help in interpreting the meanings of images. Codes are made up of signs and rules that make up a message in an image. Codes are combined with signs to interpret images. Codes are more specific than signs because they derive the messages that are in images. Culture also plays a part in interpreting and understanding images. In semiotics, culture indicates the views that people have about an image depending on their cultural background. When doing a semiological analysis of an image, there are two operations which are involved. The process of dissection and articulation are involved in semiotics. Dissection involves looking for elements which can be linked to one another to give a meaning. The analyst looks for features in the image that are likely to relate with each other to find a meaning. The process of articulation comes after dissection which involves combining the rules and codes in the image to bring out its deeper meaning. For an effective semiotic analysis, individuals should be able to identify the signs, signifiers and signified because they are the basics of interpreting images (Darley, 2000). Analysis of images according to a semiotic approach Analysis of Bailey’s Original Irish cream Advertisement done in 2004 in Harper’s Bazaar Using the semiotics theory, the advertisement has three major parts which is the sign, signifier and signified. The sign is the use of a magazine by Baileys to advertise the product. The signifiers involve the image of a man and a woman who are smiling and embracing each other as they enjoy a glass of drink which they are holding in their hands. The signified on the other hand shows the beauty, health, love and the romance that the man and woman have. Baileys is an alcoholic drink which has different features such as fresh cream, cacao, vanilla and a scotch whisky. To represent the blend of the drink which is rich and pure, the pure love seen to exist between the couple is used n the advertisement. Metaphor is used in the advertisement with the happy relationship that the couple has to represent the perfect mixture of cocoa and vanilla which gives a good taste. The affection that the couple has by embracing and smiling at each other as they hold a glass of Baileys represents the people who love consuming Baileys and how they behave when taking it. As depicted by the image, the consumers enjoy and love the drink s they flow into emotions with the drink. The signifier seen in the advertisement is the man putting on a black jacket which represents the black bottle of baileys. Additionally, the man represents the whisky while the woman represents the cream which tastes good just as the love affair. The advert also shows the image of the man leaning on the woman in an outward manner while the embraces him from the back offering him a glass of Baileys. She goes further to close his eye with one hand and uses the other to turn him towards her. The image shows that the man is an extrovert who loves spending time with women. It means that the drink is mostly taken by extroverts. The woman in the image is fair and good looking showing that only thin, beautiful, fair and young women drink baileys. It also means that the drink makes women to be more beautiful and young while men become extroverts. According the semiotic theory, still images should create a sense of motion which is seen in Bailey’s advert. The depth of the field in the advert and the codification of the background of the advert show a clear picture about the drink. Two glasses of Baileys and a bottle are place in the front image representing that the feelings and actions that the couple do are due to the influence of taking baileys. It also shows the real product that is being advertised. The woman and the man are in the middle and the background is comprised of a number of people who seem to be in a party. The organization of the advert shows that the couple is sublimed by Baileys. A sense of motion is seen in the blonde hair of the woman which is being blown be a cool breeze. A feeling of liveliness and happiness is evident by the smiling faces from the couple and the people in the background showing the kind of feeling that the drink can give to its users. The background of the advert also uses warm colours to evident the red, orange and yellow colours in the image. The warm colours represent a lively and energetic atmosphere that the drinking of Baileys creates. A connotative sign is seen in the image because it shows a relationship between the image and the codes that are written on it. The message that is written on the image is clearly depicted on how the image has been developed. The image on the advertisement is created in an indoor activity showing the place and the conservativeness that the drink is associated with (Chandler, 2007). Analysis of Adler Jewellers advertisement found in Harper’s Bazaar magazine in 2004 The image in the advert uses metaphors and according to the semiotics theory, they involve symbols and iconic signs. The advertisement uses visual metaphors which are used to represent a certain expression in terms of symbols. The design of the jewellery being advertised as derived from the written codes was inspired by from the cape of torero used in bull fighting. The signs of the jewellery is analysed in the context of the three parts of the semiotic theory. The woman in the image has a necklace which has brilliants and holds orange sapphires. It the advert was inspired by features of bull fighting, the orange sapphires would not work well in passing the message across to the targeted customers. A red cap would have been more appropriate in attracting the customers because red caps are used in to attract the attention of bulls during a fight. The standing and holding the necklace aside does not show the connection that the customers can have with the necklace. By holding and not wearing the necklace, the woman shows that she can let go of the necklace and still look elegant and beautiful which is not the main message of the advertisement. By using connotation in interpreting the message of the image, it is clear that the woman in the image can easily attract and enchant men because of her good looks and elegance. However, the image does not properly advertise the jewellery because it does not convey the message to the customers. It does not show the impact that the jewellery would have on its users. In fact, it tends to push away the customers. The background of the image is rather boring because of the dull colours used (Chandler, 2007). Analysis of an advertisement of Louis Feraud clothes from the 2000 Vogue magazine in the March issue. The advertisement shows the image of a woman standing and behind her there is a cage. The background of the image is plainly grey which indicates boredom and some kind of monotony. There are five empty cages behind her with the doors open. Her face is angelic and stunning giving a picture of freedom. The white dress that she has put on signifies innocence, freedom and purity. On the front of her top is a large flower made up of many colours. The colours of the flowers connote nature, freshness, wilderness and freedom. The colours show that Louis Feraud clothes are appropriate for all seasons. In this image, the woman’s hair is a signifier of freedom, independence and naturalness. This is because the hair is long, natural, and loose and is easily blown by the wind. The woman also does not look straight forward but looks to the horizon signifying freedom. The combination of the dull background and the white clothe gives the customer a choice of choosing between a lively lifestyle and a boring lifestyle. The combination of the place background and the bright clothes also indicate that an individual can change his or her life from being boring to being lively (Chandler, 2007). Conclusion From the discussion above, semiotics play a big role in understanding and interpreting images which have hidden meanings. They majorly involve the use of signs, signifiers, signified, denotations and connotations. The recent years, fashion has presented many images in the minds of people others being understood and others not understood. Semiotics can be used to easily understand and interpret meanings behind images. Advertisements are mostly used in presenting images with a volume of meanings. The semiotics theory believes that every sign, image and symbol has a meaning. Everything that comes in form of an image has a meaning behind it. With semiotics, images can be easily interpreted by using understanding the signs, objects and presentation of images. References Bernard M. (2001). Approaches To Understanding Visual Culture. London: Palgrave Macmillan. Chandler, D. (2007). Semiotics: the basics. New York, NY: Rutledge Publishers. Darley, A. (2000). visual digital culture: Surface play and spectacle in new media genres. London: Rutledge. Read More