Communication Design Theory

In the text Rhetoric of the image, Roland Barthes is mainly trying to examine and understand the messages that images contain. He is also asking how ideology charge image and transmit an education purpose to the society. He uses the Panzani ad to see how deferent messages are conveyed trough system of signs.

He classifies the message into 3

1-The Linguistics “both the caption and label of a product’

2-the code iconic message “all meanings associated with images

Like for example the open bag signifies freshness and the color signifies Italianicity

3-A non-coded iconic message the literal element which Roland basically identifies as a signifier and signifies message code

Polysemy- the ability for a word to possess multiple meanings. 

En Abyme- an image that contains a smaller version of itself; buried deep within.

Linguistic Sign- a sign of and suggested concept

Connoted- imply or suggest.

Denoted-indication. 

Relay- allows you to question the image due to the text that wanders or adds dimensions.

Anchorage- ropes things back to your understanding. 

Non-Coded- existing like a pile of words; non-linear, heaps of images.

Coded- certain words next to each other; dependent on the tone, delivery, and presentation. 

Rhetoric Ideology- convinces you of a point that all images are filled with cultural meanings. 

Meta Linguistic- sits on top of a language with a lot of communication in a picture; it is flowy and not linear.

Based on the reading it seems to be that, we take what we are aware of and we break it down to what we grew up with based on culture.  For example, in the image we see the pasta brand, tomato, onion, and cheese. This indicates a classic meal with all of the ingredients that are in the image and we associate it with Italian culture, because of what is being portrayed in life that we encounter as we grow up with different people or experience. 

 

in the first reading it talks about the different between the old and new typography. The new  typograghy  is about clarity and the old is about beauty and how it did not attain a high level that we a require today. the reading also talks about pseudo constructivist do not like the new typography. In the second reading it said instead of solution programmes for solution. it also talks about reason and an morphological box that the author made. In the third reading it talks about math and also having clearly intelligible, objective, functional, and  aesthetic  quality thinking. I believe that the authors are saying that we need clarity the morphological box and a grid with math to make a good design

one of the reading is about typography and the other reading goes deeper I believe it talks about how we can use lines of sentences and lower case letters. I am not sure about the fist reading

in one of the readings I believe it is talking about writing style and the other I believe about changing the away about going art but I am not sure with the who we are reading

from the first reading I got different ways of counting and from the other reading I got how design is different in every country.

“The image immediately yields a first message  whose substance is linguistic; its supports are the caption, which is marginal, and the labels, these being inserted into the natural disposition of the scene, “en abyme”. “

“Putting aside the linguistic message, we are left with the pure image (even if the labels are part of it, anecdotally). This image straightaway provides a series of discontinuous signs.”

“The signifieds of this third message are constituted by the real objects in the scene, the signifiers by these same objects photographed, for, given that the relation between things signified and image signifying in analogical representation is not “arbitrary”.”

Three Main Messages Messages:

1. Linguistics – The text that appears anywhere in the image.
2. Coded Iconic Message – what the image implies and its cultural value. It is what the advertisers are trying to say to us and what we were meant to draw from the image. 
3. Non Coded Iconic Message –  It is the message that you are processing based on the communication through a system of signs.

• Denotational – Is based on what is present in front of us  and what we see.
• Conotational – Is based on putting certain ideas together from the information we gathered in the image. 
• Anchorage – Brings things to your understanding. How the text supports (anchors) the image. 
• Relay – Makes you ask questions about the image, and opens new doors for what the picture could mean. It also leaves room for interpretation. 

This is the information that I understood best from the reading and what I was able to clarify more of. From what it seems the three messages are the most important thing understanding how to break down an advertisement image. What I found interesting was how most of the information based in an advertisement is based on what we know culturally and how we associate different objects with different cultures. For example the brand name of the pasta indicates to us that it is somewhat Italian and we see different objects in the bag  that is next to the pasta like the tomato which indicates to us a classic spaghetti dinner. For people that don’t know the cultural meanings of these objects would be able to understand the ad as well as we do. I think this is how advertisers are able to communicate with us and is what gives an ad its power. 

 

The author offers a delving into linguistics as far as it relates to advertising, discussing not only the more obvious decisions that we as viewers make on a image, but goes so far as to further break down and specify the layers to our perception of advertisement, frankly, in a way that is important to much more then just advertising. The reading, though difficult, is an important study on what advertisers are truly doing on a technical level, and what the viewers are doing as well. This knowledge is, while not perhaps applicable to every situation, is important back-hand knowledge to understand what it is a designer must aim for in their projects.

The author states “Thus there are four signs for this image and we will assume that they form a coherent whole” here he expresses that though there are multiple ways in which to convey a  message, there can be multiplicity as well as singularity in an ad. For example, an ad for coke might show someone drinking it in a glass filled with ice on a beach and the text reads “DRINK COKE” here we have two signs, one is the coke in the glass informing the reader it is a refreshing beverage good for the hot weather, the second, is the command to buy and consume that product. The author identifies four total ways of speaking or rather, conveying meaning to the viewer, but this does not undermine the singular plot of the advertising agency. This basic affirmation, seems to be the continuous plot of the entire writing.

One manner in which the simplicity and complexity of language can be observed in the reading is where the author states “An advertisement… shows a few fruits scattered around a ladder; the caption… banishes one possible signified,” here the author demonstrates how the written language can clarify and constrain the possible interpretations of the art, thus it is important if not needed for proper art.

While this information is less important for junior designers it offers invaluable knowledge for art directors and those who want to become them. One might be able to design well, but not understand the linguistic underpinnings and rules to what they do, thus, in a leadership role they might falter.

Etymology – etymology means the study of root of linguistic change, especially as manifested in individual words.

Polysemy – the ability of a word to posses several meaning.

linguistic sign – a sign is a combination between a concept and a sound image.

Connoted – imply or suggest.

Denoted – indication

Decipher – Convert into normal language.

Assonance – the repetition of the sound of a vowel.

Anchorage- frequent function of the linguistic message and commonly found in press photography and advertisements.

mythical idea of Life. it means that the linguistic nature image is being presented again and finally it takes action 

There are 3 messages.

The linguistic Message, Denoted Image and Rhetoric of the Image.

1st message is produce by the image and linguistic is the medium and captions, labels and marginals supports the linguistic.

The linguistic message is a sign or indication and suggested or the concept.

The reading discuss about the sign stages that the first sign of the image is idea and how it represented the product. Second sign talks about the it is more or less equal to noticeable to bring together the signifier for the product. As they explore the image, they discover the two other sign. 1 is a collection of different  object that transmit the idea that is different service. In other sign, it is about the composition of the image that is an illustration that express in other language is “still life”. 

As reading goes on the photograph analyzed that the messages 1 is linguistic message, 2 is coded iconic message and a non-coded iconic message. 

Denoted Image is that image is speaking the distinction between the literal message and the symbolic message and it is operational. 

Rhetoric of the image is where the sign of the 3rd message were message cultural that  on and off when the signifier become enlarge over the whole image however a sign is separated from the others than the composition that carries a set of principals of signified.