Semiotics

Semiotics is a theory introduced by Ferdinand de Saussure in the late1990s. Saussure's theory argues that people see the signs around them and link it to the world to give it meaning. Saussure broke down semiotics into Signifier and Signified. The Signifier is the icon which represents something for example the word dog would represent the animal dog. Similarly the Signified is a mental image one imagines after they see or hear the signifier in this case it would be the dog. Charles Sanders Peirce was also a massive contributor in the semiotics theory and introduced further breakdowns to signifier and signified. He argued that signifier can be further presented as "Icon", "Symbol" and "Indexes". An Icon would be where the signifier would represent the signified A Symbol is where the connection between signifier and signified is conventional and culturally specific and an index is when the signifier is caused due to the signified. The signified can be broken into 2 sections as well which are Symtagm and Paradigm. Symtagm is a single element or word of design that can change the entire meaning of the signified and Paradigm is a group of ideas which are interchangeable yet the meaning will remain the same. this entire sequences of signifier and signified are the classifications of denotation and connotation which mean basic meanings and deeper meaning respectively.