Introduction to Semiotics Context of Practice Lecture OUGD401

Semiotics is the 'science' of studying signs. The why and how of how we connect certain thought.
(as created by Ferdinand de Saussure for the application of linguistics)

The social and cultural context in which a meaning is set is pivotal in understanding how to effectively communicate. Much in the same way as a language, understanding the cultural practices and origins of a meaning allow us to see how it is constructed and eventually construct and communicate meanings our selves. 
A cultural code is a system of meanings that link to one another and are stimulated by a signifier (the thought process of analysis.)

A signifier is and object, image or text that stimulates this code.

A signifier can communicate multiple different things depending on the culture in which it is placed and the social conditioning that has occurred upon the individual.

The signified is the connotations absorbed by the mind, or rather what has been communicated.

The sign is made up of the signifier and the signified, so it is the complete process of a connotation being received.

There is no logical link between the signifier and the signified. For example, an image of a rose is a signifier but the signified is romance and love. The link is arbitrary. 

We were then introduced to Roland Barthes and his theory of mythologies. He theorises that the signifier has two levels:
Denotation- the basic understanding of the object.
Connotation- Associated meanings.

However, I am a little confused as to the difference between the connotation part of the signifier and the signified. This is perhaps something to ask at the next seminar.

According to Barthes myths come into play in the realms of connotation. The endless chain of connotations stimulated by a text is a myth. Once again I am unsure about the difference between a cultural code and a myth in this context. 

We then went on to analyse a bucolic painting of the english countryside. This opened my eyes to the fact that signs are not always accurate but are often created with an ulterior motive, such as the owner of the english estate trying to create a positive image of him self as a land owner.

Intertextual references also contribute to connotations as people and societies collect experiences and are exposed to more signifiers they are pilled on top of one another, the existence of one informing the creation of another. it is this knot of meanings and connotations that we as graphic design students have to unravel and utilise in order to communicate effectively.

I am incredibly impressed by the way that each module compliments the others in this course and with each lecture and brief the thought that has gone into each module become clearer. Because the subject of this seminar works perfectly with the work we are starting in our design principles module and practice. i just hope I have the metal capacity to make good use of all the information and fully apply it to my studio briefs. In the same way that semiotics can help us understand how culture operates, society and cultural practices can help us to understand semiotics and how to communicate effectively.