Assignmnet#2_Giulia

Language could be generally be defined as a way of communication through writing, speech and gesture. As described in Saussure essays: language is the most complex and universal of all the systems of expressions, but also the most characteristic. Language is not something that we inherited and stayed the same all the time, but it is also such a complex system of signs that can’t be easily changed or substituted. As Lupton Miller explains language is a combination of photography and math, positivism and rationalism, observation and logic, experience and mathematical or geometrical studies. Language not only changes or better evolves because of social forces but also because of the arbitrary nature of the sign. The sign is composed by signified and signifier. What we can define as change in the language is actually a shift in the relationship between signifier and signified for example in the Modern German word Drittel derived from the old German Dritteil the signifier was grammatically changed omitting Teil (part) creating a shorter word Drittel, but the concept stayed the same (even though the signified was simplified). Language evolves and exists only if there is a community of speakers and in relationship with time. “Without the time we wouldn’t see the effect of the social forces that influence language” (Saussure). 

Symbols and icons are used to communicate graphically.  As shown in the three essays from Counting Sheep, Modern Hieroglyphs and Language of Dreams natural and on hand elements such as stones, sticks, clays, parts of the body were used since the Sumerian time to count and represent a quantity. Those elements were then represented with signs and then substituted by Romans with symbols. Symbols were needed to represent the absence of a quantity: such as the number zero. The body itself became a set of symbols for representing numbers (hands and feet). The symbol is also defined as linguistic sign or using Saussure term, the signifier. According to Neurath signs were natural imprints of material objects and they were free, clean, objective and logical in opposite of writing which he defines as a machine. The meaning of signs to be used need to be internationally established, only in this way signs can cross national boundaries. Since symbols are fundamental for visual communication, designer play an important role. As Neurath underlines consistency and reduction are two of the most important rules in minimalistic design or in nowadays branding. In the fast culture in which we live designers are always looking for effective symbols to use as logos to transmit the vibes and the concept behind the brand. Furthermore, they are responsible for the evolution of the visual communication since they are always creating new symbols that go viral in few minutes through the new medias.