What

Images Mean
What Images Mean

cogni0ve and deno0ve meanings

symbolic content within a design = communica0on
Chosen and presented to convey a specic meaning specic group of people
realized through use of symbolism, metaphors, similes or typograms as well as
a number of other methods
An image communicates in many dierent ways and on many dierent levels.


The subject
the way in which it has been viewed
the context in which it is presented and
the objects that may surround it

will all play part in how the meaning of the image is extracted and interpreted.
Images can be interpreted through their cogni0ve and deno0ve meanings.
Denota0on
A deno0ve interpreta0on means to signify something by a visible sign. For example,'car' is a
deno0ve that we have associated with a four-wheeled vehicle. Likewise, a picture of a car
may denote 'transport'.

Connota0on
Many images have cogni0ve meanings far beyond their deno0ve interpreta0ons.
Cogni0on refers to things that we have perceived, learned and reasoned. A picture
of a house denotes a home - the place where you live; but home has other
connota0ons such as family, security and love.
the below shapes denote specic meanings:
a triangle is a warning of danger
a rectangle imparts informa0on and
a circle denotes an order.
Typogram
A typogram refers to the deliberate use of typography to express an idea
visually, but by incorpora0ng something more than just the leMers that
cons0tute the word.
Logotypes - logos formed from type - frequently use typograms as a design element
that becomes a key part of the idenBty.
Synecdoche, metaphor & metonym
Synecdoche meaning "simultaneous understanding" is a gure of speech in which:

a term deno0ng a part of something is used to refer to the whole thing or

a term deno0ng a thing (a "whole") is used to refer to part of it

The main subject is subsBtuted for something that is inherently connected to it. This subsBtuBon
works as long as what the synecdoche represents can be universally recognized and understood.
Synecdoche, metaphor & metonym
A metaphor is a gure of speech concisely comparing two things, saying that one is
the other.

A visual metaphor is used to transfer meaning from one image to another.

Although the images may have no close relaBonship, a metaphor conveys an impression about
something relaBvely unfamiliar by drawing a comparison between it and something familiar.
Synecdoche, metaphor & metonym
Metonymy is a gure of speech used in rhetoric in which a thing or concept is not
called by its own name, but by the name of something inBmately associated with that
thing or concept.

A visual metonym is a symbolic image that is used to make reference to
something with a more literal meaning.

By way of associaBon the viewer makes a connecBon between the image and the intended subject.
Synecdoche, metaphor & metonym
Simile
A simile is a gure of speech comparing two unlike things, oKen introduced with
the word "like" or "as ", such as 'as pure as the driven snow'.

Visual similes are common and work because of the implicit trust and perceived
truth that they suggest.

Analogy
Analogy is a cogniBve process of transferring informaBon from a parBcular subject (the
analogue or source) to another parBcular subject (the target). An analogy is a
comparison between one thing and another, made for the purpose of explana0on or
clarica0on.

A visual analogy provides a similarity in visual form between otherwise dissimilar
things.

Visual analogies are usually based on the verbal analogies that populate language because they can
be easily interpreted by the viewer. If the analogy is too complex it will be ineecBve. That said,
complex visual analogies can be used to separate a target audience from other people, which may
be a useful design tool.
Paradigm
A paradigm can be dened as a set of assumpBons, common values or pracBces that
consBtute a way of viewing reality for the community that shares them.

Paradigms provide a designer with a ready means to communicate a set of values
to a target audience by shaping a design with suitable reference keys.

Using Images
Using Images

dierent approaches to handling images in order to op0mize

the graphic content in a design
can be used as a literal example
can refer to an emo0on, a parBcular state of mind
can incorporate some other form of expression according to
how it is handled
Con0nuity
Con0nuity implies that there is an uninterrupted connec0on between a given set of
items, or that they form part of a coherent whole.

Visual con0nuity means that image elements are somehow grouped together
and presented to show that there is a connec0on between them, or that they are
all representa0ve of the same value.

By applying the same treatment to graphic elements, even quite unrelated images can nd
common ground. The soluBon may be as simple as always using picture boxes with rounded
corners, applying similar color paleRes or employing consistent cropping techniques.
Juxtaposi0on
Juxtaposi0on is the placement of contrasBng images side by side. The word is formed
from the LaBn word 'juxta', which means near, and 'posiBon'.

With regards to image placement, juxtaposiBon may be used to present two or more visual ideas so
as to impart a relaBonship between them. This relaBonship may be based on the similarity of their
shapes, or an emphasis of the dierences between them.

JuxtaposiBon can be a very strong visual device that allows images to speak without the need for
text. The successful use of juxtaposiBon in a design depends upon a viewer recognizing or
interpreBng the pairings as intended by the designer.
Vista
Vista, or panoramic, images provide an extended view of the subject maRer, which
gives the eye more space to explore and move within it. Consequently, they tend to be
much longer in the horizontal plane than in the verBcal. They may portray natural
views or more surreal scenes.
PaMern
A paMern can be dened as any design that is used as a background. PaRerns may be
abstract or produced in a metaphoric and representa0onal way.

In design terms a paRern can be used as an integral part of a design and so does not always have to
be restricted to background use. PaRerns can be applied on the surface of a design as a spot
varnish, for example, in order to create an interesBng visual and tacBle eect.

Spot Varnish

A UV spot varnish is a high-gloss varnish that may be applied to select areas of a design in order to
enhance their Impact, or form part of the overall design. A paRern can be applied to a printed
surface using a UV varnish that produces a raised and/or textured surface.
Tessella0on

TessellaBon is a repeated geometric design that covers a surface without leaving gaps or creaBng
overlaps, and was popularized by Dutch graphic arBst Escher. Designs or objects are subsumed into
an interlocking paRern and as such the individual elements may not be instantly recognizable.
Images in PracBce
Images in Prac0ce

to enhance the impact of an image

by manipulaBng images
by dierent presentaBon techniques
to incorporate correct informa0on and feeling

Reportage
Reportage is a parBcular style of photography that is characterized by images which
capture those dening and instantaneous moments of real life. Reportage photography
captures raw emo0ons; the joys and horrors of the world around us and helps to dene
our percepBon of humanity and the world around us.

By their very essence, reportage images can energize a design in ways that photographs taken in a
controlled studio environment cannot. The powerful impact of reportage means that it tends to be
used without further embellishment by the designer because the images speak for themselves.
Non-reportage photographs can also be stylized to simulate a reportage eect.
Sequence
Some ideas and concepts are dicult to express in a single image; such as moBon or
instrucBons that explain how to perform a specic task. Using a sequence of images
allows a greater range of ideas to be communicated, although it requires more design
space.

A sequence of images can depict how acBon unfolds or provide a series of steps for the
viewer to follow.
Manipula0on
An image can be manipulated to change its appearance, to emphasize or diminish
certain aspects within it, or to isolate it completely for use in a design.

In our age of vast digital technologies, nearly all the images presented for public
consumpBon are altered, enhanced or 'improved' in some way before they are printed
or published.
Photomontage
Photomontage is a technique whereby two or more images are combined to create a
composite. They may be merged seamlessly or with visible joins, but the overall result
will be to create an image that benets from the sum of all parts.

Photomontages can be used to group together dierent image elements that might not
naturally and simultaneously exist, such as people from dierent historic epochs or
buildings and landmarks from dierent countries and so on.
Collage
Collage is a creaBve technique that allows the inclusion of many dierent objects in a
design, although that design may sBll be based upon one key image that has been
deconstructed or composed of dierent elements.
Montage
A montage is a pictorial composiBon, which is constructed by juxtaposing and/or
superimposing a number of pictures or designs to form a new image.

It is important to understand that although they are similar techniques, montage and collage can be
clearly disBnguished. A montage contains separate elements that are brought together to form
another independent image or design. A collage is a more random composi0on of elements that do
not, ulBmately, create another image.
Cropping
Cropping is a technique that cuts away extraneous material from the edges of a
photograph so that the focus is retained on a specic part of it.

Generally, the rule of thirds is employed when cropping an image so as to ensure
opBmum results. The frame is divided into nine equal parts by creaBng a mental grid - as
illustrated below. A key feature of the photograph, in this case an eye, is placed at any of
the four central points where the lines of the grid bisect.
Trompe loeil
Trompe l'oeil is an image technique that concerns opBcal illusions and intenBonal visual
decepBons. Literally meaning 'trick of the eye' it applies to an object, image or design
that creates the illusion of reality, or of being something that it is actually not.
Poin0llism
Its name derives from the brushwork required to form the Bny dots of primary colours
that, when viewed from a distance, merge to produce the secondary colours. Television
screens work on a similar principle.
Mark Making
SilhoueMe
A silhoueMe is the representaBon of an image outline against a contrasBng background.
Though lacking detail, a silhoueRe can be used to present a stronger and more denite
image of the object. Conversely, a silhoueRe may also be used to obscure the origins of
the object in order to create a sense of mystery.
Icons
An icon is a graphic element that represents an object, person or something else.

The simplied presentaBon of an icon means that the viewer should have liRle trouble idenBfying
what it represents.
Symbols
Symbols are usually used to communicate the concepts, ideas or objects that they
represent, as opposed to describing what they pictorially display.
Pictograms
A pictogram is a visual reference or pictorial symbol for a leRer, word or phrase. The
wriRen form of many languages, for example Chinese, is pictogrammaBc because the
characters visually represent the word.
Pictograms communicate through the associa0ons that we aMach to an image or group
of images.
Photograms
A photogram (or rayograph) is a photograph that is created without a camera. The
image is made by placing an object on to light-sensiBve material and exposing it to light.
The resulBng image is a negaBve silhoueRe.
Overprint
An overprint occurs when one element of a design is printed over another. This
technique is used to add texture and create mul0ple layers of informa0on within a
design. The overprinBng of dierent inks will create dierent colours and so it is
someBmes necessary to knockout or trap the ink.

Knockout Overprint
Here, all the shapes knockout of the cyan square In this example all the shapes overprint the cyan
and so they remain pure and unadulterated. In square, and so the colours mix.
simple terms, a hole is created in the cyan for the
magenta circle and the yellow and black rectangles
to sit in.