Assigning Meaning to a Visual Theme
Interactive exploration
Hey friend,
I hope you’re having a nice weekend.
Thanks for stopping by.
This time I figured I’d revisit an earlier topic.
As I’m sure you know, one of the basic principles in visual storytelling (as the name suggests) is to support your campaign’s core idea or message with relevant visuals.
Not just any visuals, though.
Your visuals - beyond supporting your brand guidelines — need to amplify a dominant visual theme that is constantly present in all media assets.
Let’s look at a few basic examples
Take a look at the following images and identify what is the dominant visual element that stands out to you.
After you spot a key element in the image, what is the first association or meaning it triggered for you?
Give it a name. This is key.
According to the study of Semiotics every element in our world that generates meaning is a sign.
Every sign has two qualities:
The objective physical form which the sign takes (text, visual, audio etc.) - Signifier.
🐈 » you’d agree this is a visual of a cat, right?
The subjective mental meaning it represents - Signified.
🐈 » yet, this cat emoji carries many meanings: for one, it’s the most adorable cleanest pet ever, for another - a high-maintenance fur-everywhere nuisance
A single denotation that carries multiple connotations.
As a visual storyteller you want to plan and test a dominant element in your visuals.
This allows people to easily generate the specific meaning you intended to bring to life your core message.
Remember visuals are the first thing people notice.
Finally, people will always coat your target meaning with their personal interpretations.
That’s why pre-launch validation for major programs is important to spot any problematic response pattern.
What did you find?
Feel free to share your observations below.
See you next time!
Best,
- Shlomi
Shlomi Ron
Founder, Visual Storytelling Institute
shlomi@visualstorytell.com
story > visual > emotion > experience
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