De Saussure, Ferdinand. Course in General Linguistics pgs 65-70,  Trans. Wade Baskin, New York, Philosophical Library, 1959

In simplistic terms, Saussure’s writings reveals that the linguistic sign always has meaning. But in ambiguous terms, there are multiple components of what makes a sign what it is; the signified and the signifier. The signified is the avenue of which the signifier may comprehend a message. The One example that emphasizes how the signifier and signified work together is the Moonwalker logo. This is not the most popular logo, but in its era, it was a very easy way for people to ‘get the idea’. The lines symbolizes a music sheet, but many may not understand this at first glance. But what most could see are the feet of a particular person and may assume that this person may dance. 

However, given the fact that this logo is not as recognizable today for many reasons, this symbol  may not reach audiences like it probably did in the past. Some other symbols whose signifier and signified comprehend each other clearly (and are trendy) include McDonald’s, Apple, Mercedes-Benz, and Twitter (below).

Below is a Salvation Army advertisement, which incorporates a few non-literary elements. One non-literal device this ad highlights is irony. We know this brand as a helping hand to many people throughout many countries. This ad demonstrates a helping hand coming from a lifebuoy (or safety wheel/ring), which is a tool that lifeguards use.