In all types of social relationships, we need signs to be able to communicate. Even though it is generally believed that there is a big difference between the verbal language and the imagery, there is always some form of sign in the communication and they are essential for us to succeed in communicating. The sign can be seen as a form of means of expression and as a tool for being able to systematize theories, both logically and abstractly.
In graphic communication, enormous possibilities are created when we build different systems with the help of pictures and letters.
What is required is that we in different groups, in cultures, in different parts of the world decide and agree on what the signs stand for. Without this we cannot communicate.
The elements of the sign
To go further in finding out how semiotics works, we need to understand the meaning of the sign itself and what components it has. According to C.S. Peirce, Ogden and Richards, a sign consists of expression and content and can be broken down into the following three parts:
1. Icon
2. Index
3. Symbol
Icon
Icon stands for similarity and refers to a character that depicts an object. Our computer's desktop is filled with icons that in various ways should give us insight into which event is linked to us clicking on it and, for example, starting a program. Likewise, all menu bars with keyboard shortcuts in the software are filled with different types of icons that are similar to the function they are intended to fill (a floppy disk to save). However, we must not forget other types of characters such as the pictures at ladies' and men's toilets, they are also icons. Likewise, the photograph of mother or a map of Sweden is an icon because in different ways they try to resemble the real object.
Index
Index stands for proximity and is directly related to the object. A classic way to describe this is usually by saying that smoke is an index of fire because there is no smoke without fire. Likewise, a sneeze can be an index of a cold. It is also possible to link different indices to oneself by, for example, saying: "You will recognize me at our next meeting because I wear a big wide-brimmed hat and a long coat and have a bunch of roses in my arms". There, the hat, coat and roses become an index of myself.
Symbol
Symbol stands for an arbitrary agreement, as when letter characters, individually or in combination, by convention have come to mean something. The red cross and the red crescent are symbols. Words are usually symbols, as are numbers. There is nothing to suggest that Figure 2 should represent a pair; it is only through rules or regulations in our culture that it does so.
Anchorage and Relay
If we delve a little more into semiotics and how it can be used in advertising, Anchorage and Relay are two common concepts. Advertisements usually consist of a combination of image motifs and text. Through the terms Anchorage and Relay, the linguistic message can be described. Anchorage works in such a way that the text anchors all the possible interpretations of the image into a single interpretation.
Since the most important task of the ad is to convince the recipient, the message as a whole should evoke associations, but not just any. The associations must not be free or unwanted, but they must get the recipients into the thoughts that are in line with the advertisers' intentions. For example. if we do not succeed in getting the person looking at the ad to interpret an image motif correctly, the whole message can be completely lost and the advertising effort is a waste of money.
Compared to anchorage, relay is less common in advertising and is seen more often in comic books and in cartoons and animated films where text and image complement each other to describe the plot. Text and image are thus equally important.
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