Semiotics, the study of signs, or interpretation. This is a field of study focusing upon the innate human ability to interpret just about anything in this world. We can read just about any object or concept as a ‘Text’.
These meanings we can interpret from these texts are not fundamental, they are removed, assigned and manipulated through context.
Take for example the picture above, from an average persons point of view they can deduce that the subject of the image is male, average height and that image is current (modern) due to the clothing. If one was to take the analysis of this text further one could surmise that due to the basketball singlet he is a sports player or fan, or that due to the long unkempt hair, beanie and tattoos that he is an art student.
However if the context of the image is changed, to that of mine as the photographer, the meaning or interpretation changes altogether. The context behind this image for me is that this is my long time friend and flat mate, he is currently also a graphic design student and at the second of taking the photo and me writing this entry, he is a small piece of my assignment on semiotics.
The context of this image could be manipulated in many other ways: if one were to be playing reggae music in the background, he could be interpreted as some sort of drug addict.
If heavy metal music was playing in the background he could be seen as a band member, or degenerate.
If the image was cropped or focused in upon his tattoos this image could be read as an advertisement or exhibition for tattoos.
All these different ways of reading an image, all the connections we make between context and reality fall into the field of semiotics: reading signs.
Graphic Design VD 