Semiotics

Semiotics is the study of signs and meanings. The three areas of study in semiotics are:

The sign - the image /object/sound
The system into which the signs are organised
The culture in which the signs operate

For example, traffic lights can be used to exemplifiy semiotics practically. We know that red means stop, amber means get ready to stop/go and green means go. However, in some cultures the amber sign can be interpreted as the ned to speed up to get through the lights quickly before they change. People in these cultures interpret the sign in its original meanings, but choose to read it in a different way.
Semiotics are also important when analysing media prints and images. It raises your awareness of subconcious effects the images are having on the viewer, as we oftebn take this for granted. This is especially relevant in advertising where companies try to sell their products to their target audience by only showing the positive aspects of their product.

Saussure was a structuralist and his work developed many of the basic principles in semiotics. According to his view, the place of the sign within the overall system gives meaning and is subject to change. For this perspective, humans interpret signs accordingly for which Saussure's sign theory has two parts.

Signifier - the actual image / physical appearance or sound.
Signified - The idea/s to which the sign refer to.