A sign is anything that creates meaning. It’s anything that can be used to represent something else.
Ferdinand de Saussure, the other founder of semiotics saw signs as the basic unit of meaning and he defined two parts of signs.
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Charles Sanders Peirce, one of the founders of semiotics, categorized signs as being one of three types.
- An Icon has a physical resemblance to the signified, the thing being represented. A photograph is a good example as it certainly resembles whatever it depicts.
- An Index shows evidence of what’s being represented. A good example is using an image of smoke to indicate fire.
- A Symbol has no resemblance between the signifier and the signified. The connection between them must be culturally learned. Numbers and alphabets are good examples. There’s nothing inherent in the number 9 to indicate what it represents. It must be culturally learned.
One Hundred IterationsGenerating multiple iterations of one subject is a means of digging deeper. By repeatedly tapping into our mental database of associations and ideas, we are able to exhaust the obvious and get to fresher territory. This classic exercise asks designers to choose one subject and visually interpret it in one hundred ways. Basic semiotic principles — the icon, index, and symbol — are introduced to expand the scope of thinking and representation. Students make, capture, and appropriate imagery that, as a collection, has depth and breadth conceptually and formally, with an emphasis on excellence and innovation. MFA Studio. Jennifer Cole Phillips, faculty.
Task:
Choose a topic and create 100 iterations, visually interpreting it 100 different ways.
Consider your topic and word choice well. The egg was a great choice because it lends itself to multiple interpretations.
Consider icon, index, and symbol when brainstorming your options.
You will ultimately be creating a grid using Adobe InDesign. To prepare for your grid, each iteration should fit inside of a square.
Collect imagery from the internet:
Save the images as jpegs or png files to an established folder on your computer.
Create your own imagery:
Using Illustrator or Photoshop, create imagery in the square ration. Save as a jpeg or png file to the same folder as your collected images.
Using Adobe InDesign, create a grid of your 100 iterations.
Choose a topic and create 100 iterations, visually interpreting it 100 different ways.
Consider your topic and word choice well. The egg was a great choice because it lends itself to multiple interpretations.
Consider icon, index, and symbol when brainstorming your options.
You will ultimately be creating a grid using Adobe InDesign. To prepare for your grid, each iteration should fit inside of a square.
Collect imagery from the internet:
Save the images as jpegs or png files to an established folder on your computer.
Create your own imagery:
Using Illustrator or Photoshop, create imagery in the square ration. Save as a jpeg or png file to the same folder as your collected images.
Using Adobe InDesign, create a grid of your 100 iterations.