The Three Catergories of Signs “Aworkofartisnotidentifiable,aspsychologicalaestheticswouldliketothinkitis,withthestateofmindandspiritofitscreatororwithanyofthepossiblestatesofmindandspiritinducedinitsperceivers.” - Jan Mukařovsky Graphic designers, both old and new, need to have the ability to explain to their clients, viewers and audience why they have made specific design choices within their work. This could be from the use of colour, use of specific objects or features or concepts in their work.

One of the most common theories of semiotics is CharlesSandersPeirce’s idea of the three categories of signs: icons, indexes and symbols. Icons are representations of the object, indexes are direct links between the sign and the object, while symbols have no logical meanings behind them but are related to the concept/object that it is trying to represent. Semiotics can be used for all kinds of design for different aspects of different faiths, cultures and even the products we buy and anything that we use for entertainment. Lets take Mario from Nintendo’s world famous Super Mario series for example, this character is a great use of Pierce’s three catergories of signs.

Colour Semiotics Supporting Pierce’s idea of the three categories of signs is the colour theory, which is something that blends with the creative arts incredibly well because colour

has the power to make you feel differently about what you see. Colours convey multiple meanings and connotations and is used by graphic designers to make their designs have a bigger impact, because the colours they use will change the viewer’s emotional perspective of what they’re seeing.

Every colour in the spectrum has it’s own meaning, whether it be postive, negative, or even both! But these connotations heavily rely on what the cultures, ethnicity, faiths,

gender, sexuality or different classes you are designing work for.

Take a red rose for example, although they are a domesticated garden flower,

they are a common representation of love and passion, as well as a direct link to Valentine’s Day.

Whereas a standard British ambulance consist of a bright yellow not only to make it stand out to other drivers but it also

gives off connotations of illness, hazards and emergencies. In addition to this the green chequerd pattern going along

side the vehicle gives connotations of health and security to other drivers.

icon The icon of the Super Mario franchise would be the Super Mushroom, a common power-up that is used and definitely the most recognisable. It is commonly used to represent the Super Mario franchise as whole.

index The index for the Super Mario franchise would have to be Mario himself. This is because he creates a direct link to the series of video games as the character that you will play as in those games. If you see Mario anywhere you will know what to expect within these video games.

symbol Finally, the symbol of the Super Mario franchise would have to be Mario’s hat, along with the red “M” patched on to it. The “M” on his hat has become his logo in most Mario spin-off games, such as Mario Kart and Mario Tennis. While there are other defining features such as his moustache,

the “M” is the most recognisable.

RED orange yeLLOW green blue PURPLE

POSITIVE MEANINGS

Passion, Love, Heat, Boldness, Action, Strength (Western

Culture)Good Luck (China)

Happiness & Prosperity (Most of

Asia)Life-giving Purity

(India)

Social, Youthful, Cheerful,

Adventurous, Energetic, Creative,

Warm (Western Culture)

Learning & Kinship (Native Americans)

Spirituality, Luminosity,

Happiness, Hope, Optimism, Energy, Alertness (Western

Culture)Courage & Nobility

(Japan)Wisdom (Islam)

Unconditional Love (Native Americans)

Honor (China)

Nature, Environment, Growth, Freshness,

Health, Balance, Harmony, Calming,

Trust, Money (Western Culture)Respect (Islam)Heroic (England)

Eternal Life (Japan)

Spirituality, Faith, Calmness, Trust,

Security, Intelligence, Confidence, Success

(Western Culture)Holiness (Jewish)

Immortality (China)Teaching and Serving

(Native Americans)Virtue (Christianity)

Spirituality, Magic, Ritual, Creativity,

Inspiration, Imagination,

Sensitive, Bravery, Luxury, Nobility (Western Culture)Wisdom, Healing

& Gratitude (Native Americans)

Wealth & Power (Japan)

nEGATIVE MEANINGS

Prostitution (Amsterdam)

Mourning (South Africa)

Danger & Evil (Middle East)

Anger, Violence, Death, War (Western

Culture)

Frivolous, Lack of Seriousness,

Flamboyant, Loud, Low Class (Western

Culture)

Cowardice, Deceit, Betrayal, Illness,

Hazard, Emergencey (Western Culture)Mourning (Eygpt)

Envy, Jealousy, Inexperience,

Immaturity, Illness (Western Culture)Disgrace (China)Corruption (North

Africa)

Sadness, Cold, Formal, Old-

Fashioned (Western Culture)

Mourning (Iran)

Conceit, Death, Mourning, Cruelty,

Arrogance, Instability,

Eccentricity, Self-Involvement (Western

Culture)Death of a Husband

(Thailand)

OTHERmeanings

Communism & Revolution (Russia)

Christmas (combined with Green)

Valentine’s Day

Halloween (Western Culture)

Protestanism (Nortern Ireland)

Royalty (Netherlands)

Sacred Colour (Hinduism)

Royalty (China)Sacred Colour (Islam)

The Ocean (Japan)The Divine (Ancient

Eygpt)Royalty (France)

Advent & Lent (Christianity)