Semiotics

"Signification is often applied within a theory called semiotics, the study of signs. Everything we see is a sign and carries a meaning. The basic meaning of the sign that most people can recognise and agree on is known as the signifier. The more complex individual meanings that people give to signs are known as the signified. Look at your shows. What image do they create of you? As a signifier, they are just a pair of shoes. As a signified, everyone who sees them will construct their own meaning; this is a matter of taste. When analysing media meaning, we deconstruct signs for what they might signify, but we must always remember that meaning is polysemic-every signifier has the potential to be given meaning differently by ever person who sees or hears it". - From the OCR Media studies for AS

Colours.

Audiences have different readings of colours.

Red - Can mean danger, romance, blood, arsenal, Ferrari, bus, postbox, labour party etc.

Black - Can mean goths, rock, death, depressing, anarchy etc.

Green - Can mean nature, environment, recycling, generally nature friendly.

Hands.


As a signifier a pair of hands means human and universally recognisable. As signified a hand can mean peace and safety, but in Judaism a hand represents the five religious books, in some cultures a palm of a hand can mean stop as well.