Roland Barthes’ “Rhetoric of the Image“ essay from Image – Music – Text, Translated by Stephen Heath. Hill and Wang, 1977. (excerpt)

My understanding of this excerpt is that we as complex beings are able to communicate and easily encode and decode information in different ways. We are able to make sense of (decode) linguistic (simply put: text) and iconic (simply put: images) messages, either separately or combined. As designers we make use of this to communicate an idea (encoding messages) often using linguistic and iconic methods in conjunction, sometimes more of one than the other.

In the excerpt, the author decodes and analyzes the Panzini Ad and concludes that in addition to the mentioned devices, the ad also uses elements such as connotation and denotation to convey the message it is intending to. Connotation is a coded message that conveys symbolic or cultural meanings, and in contrast, denotation is the literal meaning of a message. He points out that the linguistic portion of the ad mostly conveys a denotational message (at least in terms of the caption), while the imagery and usage of colors lean more towards conveying a connotational message. The second part of the denotational message, that which also conveys a connotational message, can also be examined through the lens of signs, the label “Panzani” (signifier) tells us not only the name of the firm, according to the author, but it also conveys the idea of Italianicity (signified). As for the imagery and usage of color, many of the signifiers convey euphoric values. Meaning, a sign can convey two different meanings (signified). The example for this is the scene itself, conveying freshness, and the items in the scene which, stereotypically, convey Italianicity. The usage of colors also carry a connotational message, colors from the Italian flag.