1. Semiotics for beginners
CommunicationKnowledgeCenter@Outlook.com

2. Values: inside-out/ outside-in
S x R
Values of Values of
Sender Receiver
Express Link to own values: like/ dislike
Values of
Brand/ product/ service EFFECT
Analyze what is expressed: semiotics
CommunicationKnowledgeCenter 2

3. Influence of values on effect
Values
CommunicationKnowledgeCenter

4. Message -[x]->
and semiotics
• Messages in media are verbal & visual.
– Meaning of visual messages can be analyzed
by semiotics.
– Meaning of verbal messages can be analyzed
by text analysis.
CommunicationKnowledgeCenter 4

5. Semiotics
Basically, semiotics is the study of signs and their meanings!
Signs include words, gestures, images, sounds, and objects.
According to Ferdinand de Saussure, a founder of modern
semiotics, sign consists of two parts: the signifier (the form
which the sign takes) and the signified (the concept represents).
The word “brother”.
The concept “brother”.
CommunicationKnowledgeCenter 5

6. Semiotics
For example, an everyday example is a stop sign. In this
example, the physical sign is the signifier. The concept of
stopping is the signified.
=the signifier
STOP!!! =the signified
CommunicationKnowledgeCenter 6

7. Semiotics
However, signfiers can have multiple signifieds. Take the color
red for example:
APPLE
FIRE RED Love
Blood
CommunicationKnowledgeCenter 7

8. CommunicationKnowledgeCenter 8

9. De Saussure:
relation between physical
form of a sign and its
meaning
9
CommunicationKnowledgeCenter

10. Signs are arbitrary
• A sign must have a signifier and a signified
• Sometimes we use the same signifier for
different signifieds (so one word for
different concepts)
• It is just a random agreement we made
and you can always question this
agreement
CommunicationKnowledgeCenter 10

11. Semiotic analysis
Three steps (Geursen 1997 p102-103)
1.Analyze verbal signs What you see
2.Analyze visual signs
Interpretation
3.Analyze symbolic message
CommunicationKnowledgeCenter 11

12. Exercise: Semiotics for
beginners
• Find your own values by doing the test on:
http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/valuestest.html
• Make a semiotic analysis of an advertisement –
according to Geursen.
• Conclude from this semiotic analysis what is
expressed in the advertisement: what does this
advertisement mean?
• Link these meanings to your own values.
• Explain why you like/ not like this advertisement,
based on the link between your values and the
meaning of the advertisement.
CommunicationKnowledgeCenter 12

13. EXAMPLE:
Semiotic analysis of
ad “Fight Cancer”
Signifiers (What you
see):
1.Text “Fight Cancer”.
2.Strong black-white
contrast.
3.Picture style as in
totalitarian propaganda.
4.Woman because of
long hair, feminine face.
5.Woman looks to the
left.
6.Holds sword.
7.Snakes attached to
sword.
CommunicationKnowledgeCenter 13

14. EXAMPLE:
Semiotic analysis of ad “Fight
Cancer”
Signifiers (What you see):
1.Text “Fight Cancer”.
2.Strong black-white contrast.
3.Picture style as in totalitarian propaganda.
4.Woman because of long hair, feminine face.
5.Woman looks to the left.
6.Holds sword.
7.Snakes attached to sword.
Signified (Interpretation):
• “Fight” seems to express masculine values (men are from Mars ♂).
• Masculinity also is expressed in the totalitarian style.
• Sword underlines fight & masculinity.
• Looking to the left is looking against reading direction; stresses fight against.
• Black-white contrast seems to stress good-bad duality.
• Picture of woman because this is an ad for women so, women can identify.
• Snakes express symbol for medical profession.
CommunicationKnowledgeCenter 14