Introduction
Here’s a quick lesson in semiotics, namely iconography and semiotics. Have you ever wondered what icon to use? When, where or how to use it?
What if the concept is new? How in the world can you create something iconic in that case? All these concerns and more will be addressed in a series of articles I will be publishing this month, starting with this quick guide.
What is Semiotics?
Semiotics, the study of signs and sign-using behavior.
What are signs?
A sign is anything that represents or indicates an object.
What is an object?
An object is core inspiration for the sign, or the source of what the sign is supposed to represent.
What is an Interpretant?
An interpretant is what the sign is supposed to mean or the expect and actual reaction one has when viewing the sign.
There are three categories of signs
Icon
Index
Symbol
Icons
An icon directly resembles the object.
As you can see, in the above pic, the icons match up with the objects they are intending to be interpreted as.
Index
Indexes are a bit more abstract because it is an idea has an implied association with the object.
If you saw a skull and crossbones, you could indeed interpret it to mean you could be in some sort of danger. This is an example of an index.
Symbol
Symbols are a bit tricky because they are not inherently connected to the object. They are instead a matter of convention within a society.
Symbols must be taught.
For example, something like an ampersand must be explained and eventually learned to be a symbol that’s a shortened version of the word, “and.”
Quick Exercise
Let’s take a look at the sign below to break down what we’ve learned so far.
The above sign, which is actually a sign used for road traffic, has three parts.
The sign itself, which we are all familiar with, is a traffic sign, that’s used to alert me of potential issues, while driving. Notice the color. Notice the contrast. These two elements are crucial to its holistic semiotic message. This sign type is considered an icon. You could also argue that in some ways, it’s also an index, but I’d lean more towards icon, for this example because the interpretation is its implication.
Next, you have the object itself. In our case we have two objects, an image and some text. For now, we will focus on the image. The image is a silhouette image of what appears to be a family. This coupled with the words above give us our, “Interpretant.”
One may interpret the sign to mean, “…caution, there may be a family running across your path.” Indeed, this is precisely what this means. On trips to San Diego, from Laguna Beach, my brother and I would often see this exact sign, while driving down to visit his girlfriend. You get a feeling when seeing it, that makes you a bit more aware and cautious, because you don’t want to hurt anyone while driving, and you especially would not want to hurt an entire family. In some respects you could say the sign is rather effective.
Next
For more on semiotics, read up on Charles Sanders Peirce. A lot of his writings are smattered about and 100 years old, but I’d start with him first.
If you want a more recent look into semiotics, read, 👉 This Means This, This Means That, 👈 by Sean Hall.
In the meantime, I’ll write up a good guide for you — that explains how to choose or create your own icons, using what you know about semiotics. The prerequisite, however, is studying up on a deep dive into semiotics.
Jonathan Bowman is a San Francisco based Product Design Leader, and accomplished author, with over 20 years of UX experience. He has worked with companies like, AT&T, Verizon, Amazon, Spotify, Arlo, TiVo, NETGEAR, and Virgin. He is currently listening to 🎧 this song, on repeat. He swims every morning, religiously, and plays sitar.
Follow Jonathan on Twitter or feel free to drop him a line. You can also find him on Dribbble or LinkedIn.