Am Sagarwala
Associate Dean, Interaction Design @ Humber College. Proprietor @ Artform.ca
Visual Communication
[aka. Semiotics] – Week 9
Course Update
- Module 7: Due this week
- Final Project: 1 week before semester ends
- Final Exam...
Recap
- KAHOOT!
- Æsthetics
- Design thinking & UX
- Waterfall vs. LEAN
- 10x, MVP
- Prototyping
Fail of the week
Tip: Don't use calamities to further your brand... ever.
Affordances
Capabilities offered by a design
The medium is the message
— Marshall MacLuhan
Source: Afforance and Educational Games
Source: Impossible Objects
Pic: Vladimir Menkov
Skeuomorphism
Source: vogerdesign.com
Semiotics
The Study of Sign
*don't mix this up with semantics*
Saussure »»
Signifier: Icon/word/symbol
Signified: Concept recalled
Referent: Intended meaning
Peirce
Icon: picture, map, math
Index: sign requiring context
Symbol: culturally defined
Icon
Index
What does it mean without context?
-1°
Symbol
©
Connotative
Denotative
Associated meanings
Literal meaning
Referent → Signifier → Signified
Representation
Icon
Reaction
Connotation
Actual Item
Denotation
Semiotics of Cinderella
- How are women portrayed?
- How are men portrayed?
- Cultural Myth (Barthes, 1967)
Everything wrong with Cinderella, CinemaSins
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi – Prime Minister of India
Gabrielle Bonheur (Coco Chanel)
"My life did not please me, so I created my life."
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt – American diplomat
“You must do the thing you think you cannot do”
Marie Curie, J.K. Rowling, Melinda Gates,
Amelia Earhart, Oprah
What do they all have in common?
Traits of Successful Women
- Creativity
- Confidence
- Emotional intelligence (EQ)
- Resourceful
- Resilient
- Work with Purpose
- Set new trends
Fairy godmothers & sugar daddies
Rise of Visual Culture
Meme
The Visual Sound Byte
A single mutating visual unit of communication that uses a mimicked theme
Source: IMGFlip's Meme Generator
Mass Self-Communication
Manuel Castells
Research
Generate/Curate
Direct
Disseminate
Ghost Gunner - open-source weaponry
Not all innovation is good...
Language of Mass Media
- Colour
- Clothing
- Camera angle
- Edits/Cuts
- Objects
- Mise-en-scène
Transmedia + Sequencing
For each video:
- What are the signs used?
- Do they conveying the theme?
- What are the camera angles/cuts?
Political Semiotics
Gaza Burial, Paul Hansen, 2013
NPR Article on World Press Photos Award
Viral Marketing
*demic
Baseball Video
Girl makes amazing catch
Dove
Evolution
Public Service Announcement (PSA)
- Topics
- Research
- Target
- Hook 'em
- Points
- Semiotics
- LEAN
What stands out in the following videos?
Which concepts would you emulate?
What statistics can you recall?
Point out any use of semiotics
What stood out in those videos?
Which concepts would you emulate?
What statistics can you recall?
Point out any use of semiotics
Storytelling is more effective than just telling
Even better:
show, don't tell
Next Week
Week 10
Bring a laptop or tablet!
We'll be doing some hands-on learning.
No special software required.
EID100 Week 09: Visual Communication
By Am Sagarwala
EID100 Week 09: Visual Communication
CREATE: Crafting imagery and messaging for branding and personal communications.
