Visible signs: an Introduction to Semiotics by David Crow

This book was easy to understand and simple to read. I was able to understand and learn about the two different theory's of semiotics. Ferdinand da Saussure's Dual Layer Theory and Charles Sanders Peirce's Triangle Theory.

Semiotics is the study of signs and symbols and the use of interpretation. As a graphic designer, we create visual symbols that evoke a certain effect in people minds. [1] This is why semiotics is important to know as a graphic designer and how to use semiotics in the right way.

There are three main groups in which we can understand semiotics, this would be: the signs themselves, the way they are organised into systems and the context in the way that they are seen.

David crow says that

“The theories which we apply to graphic design and visual communication are taken from a study of the general science of sign known I Europe as semiology and USA as semiotics.” [2]

Ferdinand da Saussure and Charles Sanders Peirce study semiotics but they study the topic in different ways. Saussure was interested in the language of semiotics however Peirce wanted to know how we make sense of the world. He also was the philosopher who is recognised as the founder of the American tradition of semiotics.

Since Saussure and Peirce study semiotics in different ways they have different methods on what the process of semiotics is.

Saussure believes that semiotics has only two steps which are signified and signifier. For example, a stop sign {Image} is the Signified and the “STOP!!” {Word} is the Signifier. However, Peirce believes that there are three group. This would be Interpretant/ signified, Representamen/ Signifier and the Referent/ Object. The Interpretant/ signified is the sense made of the sign, the Representamen/ Signifier is the symbol, the form of the sign and the Referent/ Object is what the sign “stands for” or represents. Peirce added Representamen which because this would be different for each person depending on if they have learnt the symbol and its meaning. For example, A stop sign {the image of one} would be the Representamen/ signifier, then the Object is what it stands for this would be `cars must stop` and the Interpretant/ signified is the thought which would be “I should Stop the car”.

Peirce also found that there were three levels for a sign which can by address to his triangle version of semiotics which he said was: Firstness, Secondness and Thirdness. He explains that firstness was the sense of something, this could be a feeling or a mood. The secondness was the level of fact, this could be the physical relation of the sign/ symbol. Lastly, Thirdness, would be the mental level that brings the firstness and secondness together. David crow gives the example of the `stars and strips` and the mental image of the US Flag. [2]