What is Semiotics?

Semiotics is the means to study culture and consumers through signs and symbols in communication. We identify the visual, textual, and sensory elements in a piece of communication and ask ourselves - why is this here, and what does it signify? The answer is a sneak peek into the cultural contexts of the message for the intended target audience.

Let's analyze a vital piece of messaging and promotion - A movie poster. For our intents and purposes, we'll use the poster for Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away.

Objectives of the Analysis:

To identify the communication codes, information architecture, textual and visual elements present in the poster.

 Entering the Frame:

There is such a subtle hint of the direction of light flowing from top left to bottom right, as evident from the shadows. We will consider this direction and follow a linear line juxtaposed on top of the path of light.

Hues and Visual Elements:

Black:

The background of the image is entirely black. The black background denotes the night sky but, what is to be noted here, is that the night sky has no stars. Stars are what people look up to for aspirations. There is no reason for people to look up in this poster, especially for the protagonist. The black color is also an indication of the story's tone juxtaposed with brighter elements to be attached to it.

Red:

With red, we consider all the hues of red. There is a string of red lamps/lanterns which connects the frame from ear to ear. This is a representation of the path the family travels. If we follow from left to right, the first hinge creates a smaller string than the rest of the lanterns on the string. This is a representation of the shortcut that the parents took to avoid the longer path.

Orange:

As we move from the back layers to the front layers, we see the inhabitants of this fantasy world that becomes a reality for Chihiro. We come across a mask with a black cloak (Its name is "No-Face").

White:

The hues of white exist in No-Face and Chihiro's uniform. The white bands that Chihiro wears combined with her orange dress is a uniform. A uniform is worn by someone who works. She wears the dress after she is separated from her parents. Her dress with the shoulder bands and the fact that she is always followed by the anti-hero No-Face is a subtle indication of forced Child Labor in the real world.

Textual Elements:

The kanji at the top in the red circle is Clotaire Rapaille, described as the Village of Origin. This symbol signifies the place of birth of this story in an English-translated poster for the movie.

The following three lines are a combination of stamps that sets the brilliance of the stakeholders. The lines -

1. "Walt Disney Studios": is an indication that it will be for a relatively younger audience and that it will have elements of fantasy and miracle that Disney films are associated with.

2. "A studio Ghibli Film": for the uninitiated, this is a mark of exploration, and for the initiated, it serves as a way of connecting it to what a studio stands for, leading to insinuate what Studio Ghibli stands for, which is out of the world stories with an expressive color

3. "Miyazaki's": probably the most important of all textual elements in the frame. This is also the only text written in the colors which covered the village of origin.

The world of Semiotics is a profoundly intertwined system of consumer cultural learning. Decoding the connotative meanings is just the tip of the iceberg.

Until Next time,

Be Safe. Keep Safe.

Neerav Soni