Semiotics
Roland Barthe researched how audiences interpret what they see. He said "If narratives are episodic this helps our reading. A chain of cuase and effect is expected but the audience desires to see a story of morals."
He argued that the audience looks for signs to help them interpret the narrative, and, according to him, these deeply rooted signs are based on expectations the audience has due to their prior knowledge of old tales or myths.
His theory of how we interpret is as follows:
Signifier Signified
(The object) (The meaning)
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Semiology
(The relationship between the signifier and signified)
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Sign
(The total of the signifier and signified, e.g. how we interpret the combination of the signifier and the signified)
The Nike symbol not only represents a fashion brand, a sports brand, a sponsor, a global company and subsidiaries, but it also now has many different meanings. Marketing methods like quoting the famous 'Just Do It' are no longer needed, as the symbol itself is recognisable enough and now has many deeper meanings.
For example, a stop sign:
- The stop sign (the signifier) is to prevent traffic going a particular way (the signified).
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