Week 11 - Trends and environments
By the end of this week, you should be able to:
Understand and research semiotics and symbolism
Analyse a story or a brand and how it is delivered in different global contexts
Imagine how how society is manipulated by a message and how graphic design is deployed
Document and communicate your working process on your blog
Participate in and reflect upon debate on the ideas wall
This weeks lecture
This week’s lecture will be delivered in three parts:
Part 1 Symbolism and semiotics
Part 2 Case study
Part 3 Patrick Thomas Breaking News 2.0 Installation
Guest Lecture - Part 1: Symbolism and Semiotics with guest lecturer Martin Hosken
Communication is a complex process that involves the sharing of meaning between two or more people. It is not always easy to unpick the message in communication, as it can be influenced by a variety of factors, such as the intention of the sender, the medium used, the context of the message, and the receiver's interpretation.
One way to unpick the message in communication is to consider the psychological images that are being shared. These images are the fundamental building blocks of meaning, and they can be evoked through the use of language, text, sound, and visual stimulation.
By understanding the psychological images that are being shared, we can better understand the message that is being communicated. This can help us to improve our communication skills and to build more effective relationships with others.
Example: This sign is an example of a signifier and a signified
The world is full of signs but to qualify as a sign in opposition to a symbol, a sign needs to possess a clear signifier and a clearly defined signified.
We look at an example of a wooden sign
The wooden arrow and is signified as the direction that it is drawing attention to, to the right. In this manner we can talk about the idea of signification, which is the act of signifying.
Here are some additional points from the text:
Communication is not always successful. Sometimes, the message does not get through to the receiver, or the receiver does not understand the message.
Language can be used to manipulate and deceive. It is important to be aware of the potential for language to be used in this way.
The context of a message can influence its meaning. For example, a joke that is told in one context may be offensive in another context.
The receiver's interpretation of a message is influenced by their own experiences and beliefs. For example, two people may read the same news article and come away with different interpretations of the events described.
By understanding the factors that can influence communication, we can improve our communication skills and build more effective relationships with others.
Martin concludes the lecture by suggesting a walk to our local coffee shop to discover the signifiers and signifies in our own environment.
Development - Looking for semiotics on my doorstep
I popped out into the High Street to look for examples of semiotics.
Lecture Part 2 - Case study. Tom from Regular Practice
Exploring symbolism and semiotics and the deconstruction of the contemporary media message. Taking graphic design today, we shall unpack it; taking one story to see how it is reported globally.
In the lecture Tom investigated three versions of the same story from 3 different countries. How is it reported - headline? Text?
In this Case Study, we unpack its meaning and distorted meaning.
We look at logos from countries that have hosted the Olympics and their logos at what they symbolise.
Examples include:
Mexico Olympics 1968, Lance Wyman which based around the system of using the rings and old Mexican ceramics and patterns within the logo
Munich Olympics 1972, Otil Aicher very modernist and the whole system is built within a grid system
Tokyo 1964, Masaru Katsumi and Yusaku Kamekura featuring a gradient rising sun and the gold emblems and typeface
Sydney Olympics, Michael Bryce an illustrative and emblematic approach using symbols of the country and a script typeface
Athens 2004 again very emblematic approach almost seperate from the typeface
Beijing 2008 Very calligraphic and elegant
London Olympics 2012, Wolff Ollins Very abstract with no symbols linking to London, no cliches or symbols of London showed by a point of comparisms to the 1908 olympics which were very visually linked.
So the variables remain the same, but the global context shifts depending on which system is used.
These are my favourite examples of global brands and how they are perceived in different countries
Coca Cola
In some countries, the name remains the same but the characters, the glyphs, the way that the logotype is written, changes because that’s how the type works. This is Coca-Cola and ways that the logo-type is written through the different type. Whether it be Cyrillic or oriental characters, essentially the type is the same, but it just reads differently.
KFC
Under the law in Quebec, Canada, their law says that the brand has to be delivered in French, so KFC is known as PFK (Poulet Fried Kentucky) as the name has to be presented in the language of the country.
Part 3 - Patrick Thomas Installation at the London Design Festival
We visit Patrick Thomas who introduces his installation display at the V&A.
He shows how visitors interact within the space and the display by the QR code readers on their smartphones. The whole aim is to open up information that is surrounding us and question whether it is reliable, news and stories may differ and how we interpret them.
The messages are totally random which can mean quite interesting juxtapositions.
Read | Watch | Listen - HyperNormalisation
An interesting film about how over the last 40 years, politicians, financiers and technological utopians rather than face up to the real complexities of the world, retreated. Instead, they constructed a simpler version of the world, in order to hang onto power and as this fake world grew, we all went along with it because the simplicity was reassuring. Even the radical who thought they were attacking the system, became part of the trickery.
2:46 - Stopped after 30 minutes.
Reflection
Symbolism and semiotics are powerful tools that can be used to create effective and meaningful designs. By understanding the different types of symbols and how they are used, designers can create visually appealing and emotionally resonant work.
One way to use symbolism in design is to create icons. Icons are simple, recognisable images that represent something else.
Icons are often used in branding and advertising to create a quick and easy connection between a product or service and its intended audience. By understanding the power of symbolism and semiotics, designers and consumers alike can become more aware of the ways in which meaning is created and communicated. This knowledge can be used to create more effective and meaningful designs, and it can also be used to deconstruct the contemporary media message.