H335/H535 Industrial Image-Making

H335/H535 Industrial Image-Making (Daughter of Social Semiotics) Study Guide School of Media Communication & Culture Murdoch University Co-odinator: Alec McHoul Tutors: Pierre Van Osselaer and Alec McHoul Semester 2, 2003 <http://wwwmcc.murdoch.edu.au/~mchoul/h335> H335/535 Study Guide, page 1

Overview: Aims and Objectives Social semiotics today is a very broad field of study and, increasingly, of industrial practice. In some previous years, the unit has been taught as a kind of survey of this field. The usual approach is to start with fundamental semiotic concepts (sign, signifier, signified, text, intertext, discourse... and so on) and, in passing, to apply these to social, cultural and political questions. This year, as in 2002, I want to try something quite different; something of an experiment in which we can all take part. During 1999 and 2000, I worked (with Pierre Van Osselaer) on translating a very important work of visual semiotics from the French. I did this specifically in order to set the book as a text for this unit. That book is Jean-Marie Floch s Visual Identities. (Among many other things, the book is about logos and the book s own logo is on the cover of this Study Guide.) So, a brief summary of H335 this year is that we re going to be looking at the specifically visual dimension of social semiotics; and we re going to be doing that by working in detail through this particular text. The book is under 200 pages long, so this might not seem like much of a challenge. On the other hand, a better set of essays could not be found even in a specially designed reader. The design of the unit (or should we say the bricolage of the unit?) works around the six industrial-visual phenomena and corresponding semiotic sites that Floch analyses: Advertisements: Waterman pens Logos: IBM and Apple computers Food: Menus and dishes of a leading chef, Michel Bras Fashion: Coco Chanel s Total Look Department stores: Habitat and Ikea Industrial products Opinel knives H335/535 Study Guide, page 2

This gives us 12 main topics, organised into six thematic modules. In each module, we ll examine basic concepts in social semiotics and how they apply to industrial-visual phenomena in general. Then we ll look at their application, via Floch, to very specific industrial sites. This is the core business of the unit. A simple, but central, objective is therefore: how to read a single book! One of the reasons for focusing on Floch is that he and his work straddle two domains. Floch was a Paris-based social semiotics scholar; but he also worked closely with image designers and he advised corporations on the kinds of visual identity they project to their various publics. This reflects the increasing interest in social semiotics on the part of practitioners in marketing, copy-writing, advertising and industrial design not to mention graphic artists, photographers and web designers. (Over the page, you will find a short article on one such company, Semiotic Solutions). The point is: whatever we happen to make (an actual knife, say, or an advertising logo for it), we will do so on the basis of our social and cultural knowledge. Quite often, however, such knowledge is implicit. Techniques in social semiotics allow us to formally analyse (and hence make explicit) such knowledges and ideas. In this way, semiotic analyses not only let us see how industrial images (or visual identities ) work, they can also aid in the design and dissemination of those images. Semiotics can be a scholarly tool for understanding (and, if we insist, criticising) the increasingly corporatised world we live in; but it can also be instrumental in corporate processes themselves. (Take your pick as to which these activities is most critical.) The main item of assessment in this unit, and the core outcome, is a Conference on design work and theory. It allows students to combine these two uses of social/visual semiotics (design and research) and to see how well they can be brought together experimentally, using bricolage. H335/535 Study Guide, page 3

Readings Set text The set text for the unit is available from the University Bookshop. This is: Floch, Jean-Marie (2000) Visual Identities, London: Continuum. This is the only text that students need to buy. There is no Internal Reader. However, copies of the H335 External Reader for 2000 are held in Closed Reserve in the Library and supply many necessary background readings, including several of those listed below. Further reading The unit is not attached to a specific program of reading. At 300 and 500 level, students are expected to read both extensively and independently. The following list is merely a guide to this and is very far from exhaustive. It s just a small sample of the available work relating to social semiotics generally, and its application to industrial and visual phenomena in particular. The list is, though, indicative of the work I ve drawn on for the lectures. Most of these pieces can be found in the University Library and, as noted, several of them are collected in the 2000 External Unit Reader. My comments follow the asterisks (*). Bal, Mieke (1992) Telling, Showing, Showing Off, Critical Inquiry 18 (Spring), pp.556-594. *Semiotics vs. the museum as visual space. Barthes, Roland (1967) Elements of Semiology (trans. Annette Lavers & Colin Smith), London: Jonathan Cape. *One of the classics of semiotics which introduces many of the basic concepts. Barthes, Roland (1981) Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography (trans. Richard Howard), New York: Hill and Wang. *Barthes postsemiotic musings on the work that photographs can do. This book is wild, but beautiful and worth reading if only for the fun of learning how to find the punctum in your favourite photographs. Barthes, Roland (1974) S/Z, London: Cape. *An influential classic, but not an easy read. Very useful in terms of the application of semiotics to literature. Barthes, Roland (1977) Image-Music-Text, London: Fontana. *An important collection of essays including (for visual analysis, H335/535 Study Guide, page 4

especially) The Photographic Image and The Rhetoric of the Image. Barthes, Roland (1983) The Fashion System (trans. Matthew Ward & Richard Howard), New York: Hill and Wang. *Deals with semiology as such and its specific application to clothes and fashion. Note the differences between Barthes and Floch s approaches to both. A useful adjunct to our work in weeks 8 and 9. Barthes, Roland (1987) Mythologies, New York: Hill & Wang. *A long essay on semiotics and politics ( Myth Today ) plus some very readable analyses of particular cultural phenomena. Some of these are directed towards industrial products (such as soap-powders, margarine, toys and cars). Berger, John (1978) Ways of Seeing, London: Penguin. *One of the influential texts of the 1970s in popularising semiotic theories of visual culture. Some nice images, including classic photo-essays. Bignell, Jonathan (1997) Media Semiotics: An Introduction, Manchester: Manchester University Press. *A very readable (if British) introduction. Blonsky, Marshall (ed.) (1985) On Signs: A Semiotics Reader, Oxford: Blackwell. *Short articles by key semioticians. Includes many famous analyses of visual signs and texts. Chandler, Daniel (1994) Semiotics for Beginners, WWW document at http://www.aber.ac.uk/~dgc/semiotic.html. *Used to be a useful site but tends to disappear from the Web. Cook, Guy (1992) The Discourse of Advertising, London: Routledge. *Mostly discourse analysis, but still relevant given our focus on advertising. Culler, Jonathan (1975) Structuralist Poetics: Structuralism, Linguistics and the Study of Literature, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. *A useful undergraduate textbook that s a guide to the application of semiotics to language and literature. Culler, Jonathon (1986) Saussure, New York: Cornell University Press. *A basic introduction to the founder of European semiotics. Danesi, Marcel (1994) Messages and Meanings: An Introduction to Semiotics, Toronto: Canadian Scholars Press. *Basic, but useful. Danesi, Marcel (2002) Understanding Media Semiotics, Arnold: London. *Works through a very broad range of media texts and industries without covering any one of them in depth. Useful as an introductory guide. Dyer, Gillian (1982) Advertising as Communication, London: Routledge. *Central text in the analysis of advertisements. Eco, Umberto (1981) The Role of the Reader, London: Hutchinson. *With some adjustments, could be a source for understanding the role of the viewer. Eco, Umberto (1984) Semiotics and the Philosophy of Language, Bloomington: Indiana University Press. *This one is for the theoryheads only. H335/535 Study Guide, page 5

Eco, Umberto (1986) Travels in Hyperreality. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. *A more popular set of essays by Eco. Includes readings of film and photography. Also published as Faith in Fakes. Elkin, James (1998). On Pictures: And the Words that Fail Them, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. *A critique of the application of semiotics to visual art and therefore of use for ratbags who want to question the very idea of a visual semiotics. Ellis, John (1982) Visible Fictions, London: Routledge and Kegan Paul. *The chapters on Cinema narration and Broadcast TV narration are useful applications of semiotic ideas about narrative to visual media. Fairclough, Norman (1991) Language and Power, London: Longman. *For those who want to do social criticism. Less semiotics, more critical discourse analysis. Fiske, John (1982) Introduction to Communication Studies, London: Routledge. *Have a look at: Chapter 3, Communication, Meaning and Signs ; Chapter 4, Codes ; Chapter 5, Signification ; Chapter 6, Semiotic Methods and Applications ; Chapter 8, Ideology and Meanings. Fiske, John (1987) Television Culture, New York: Methuen. *Applies the concepts of genre and intertextuality to television. Fiske, John & John Hartley (1978) Reading Television, London: Methuen. *Television considered as a cultural text. Floch, Jean-Marie (2000) Semiotics, Marketing and Communication. London: Macmillan. *Semiotics for marketers, as worked through by the author of our main text. You ll note that he footnotes this earlier book a great deal in Visual Identities. Gombrich, Ernst H (1974) The Visual Image, in David R. Olson (ed.) Media and Symbols: The Forms of Expression, Communication and Education, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, pp. 255-8. *Everyone enrolled in this unit should read something by Gombrich. Greimas, Algirdas Julien (1987) On Meaning: Selected Writings in Semiotic Theory (trans. P.J. Perron and F. Collins; foreword by Fredric Jameson). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. *Some of the essential pieces by Greimas, driving force of the Paris School of semiotics and Floch s main mentor. Guiraud, Pierre (1975) Semiology (trans. George Gross), London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. *An accessible introduction with a French flavour. Hall, Stuart (1980), Encoding/decoding, in Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (ed.) Culture, Media, Language: Working Papers in Cultural Studies, 1972-79, London: Hutchinson, pp128-38. *A highly influential paper on the use of semiotics in cultural studies, though not an easy read. Hartley, John (1982) Understanding News, London: Methuen. *Application of semiotics to news, including the use of visuals in news. Hawkes, Terence (1977) Structuralism and Semiotics, London: Routledge. *Stock intro to the field of semiotics. H335/535 Study Guide, page 6

Hodge, Robert and Gunther Kress (1983) Functional Semiotics: Key Concepts for the Analysis of Media, Culture and Society, Australian Journal of Cultural Studies 1(1), pp.1-17. *Introduces the systemic functionalist variety of semiotics and its applicability. Hodge, Robert and Gunther Kress (1988) Social Semiotics, Cambridge: Polity Press. *The standard textbook in social semiotics, with a wonderfully perverse insistence on the analysis of visual texts. Could be a backup textbook for this unit and, to that extent, worth purchasing if you see a copy. The section on Saussure s dustbin alone is worth the price of admission. Innis, Robert E (ed.) (1986) Semiotics: An Introductory Anthology, London: Hutchinson. *See Hawkes above, only this time a collection of readings. Schapiro s chapter on semiotics of the visual arts is worth a visit. Also includes Barthes s seminal Rhetoric of the Image. Jensen, Klaus Bruhn (1995) The Social Semiotics of Mass Communication, London: Sage. Klein, Naomi (2000) No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies. London: Flamingo. *Beautifully written and engaging. Autobiographical and journalistic exposés of such things as McLibel, Nike s sweatshops and guerilla ad-busting. Kress, Gunther (1976) Structuralism and Popular Culture, in C. W. E Bigley (ed.) Approaches to Popular Culture, London: Edward Arnold, pp. 85-106. Kress, Gunther & Theo van Leeuwen (1996) Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design. London: Routledge. *Important text in the field of visual literacy and design. Can be widely consulted for assignment work in this unit. Leiss, William, Stephen Kline & Sut Jhally (1990) Social Communication in Advertising, New York: Routledge. *Chapter 8 compares semiotic analysis with content analysis in the field of advertising. Leymore, Varda Langholz (1975) Hidden Myth: Structure and Symbolism in Advertising, New York: Basic Books. *Mobilises some (broadly) semiotic/anthropological concepts for the analysis of advertising. Lévi-Strauss, Claude (1972) The Savage Mind. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson. *This is a translation of the work La pensée sauvage, to which Floch makes frequent reference in the set text. Can be widely consulted for the more anthropological aspects of visual semiotics. Messaris, Paul (1994) Visual Literacy : Image, Mind and Reality, Boulder: Westview Press. *The standard text on visual literacy how images are to be read. Metz, Christian (1974) Film Language: A Semiotics of the Cinema (trans. Michael Taylor), New York: Oxford University Press. *A classic, though much criticised. This is one place to begin to move towards the semiotics of cinematic images. McHoul, Alec (1996) Semiotic Investigations: Towards and Effective Semiotics, Lincoln: Nebraska University Press. *Includes analyses of a variety of cultural forms, including photography. Nöth, Winfried (1990) Handbook of Semiotics, Bloomington: Indiana University Press. *A useful general reference book for semiotics. H335/535 Study Guide, page 7

O Sullivan, Tim, John Hartley, Danny Saunders, Martin Montgomery & John Fiske (1994) Key Concepts in Communication and Cultural Studies, London: Routledge. *A useful reference to some key terms. Peirce, Charles S (1966) Selected Writings, New York: Dover. *The works of the main opposition to the European tradition in semiotics. Richardson, John (ed.) (1993) Photogenic Papers, a special issue of Continuum 6(2). *Includes a number of good examples of semiotics applied to photography. Saussure, Ferdinand de (1974) Course in General Linguistics, London: Fontana/Collins. *The classic reference, at least in the European tradition. Sebeok, Thomas A (ed.) (1977) A Perfusion of Signs, Bloomington: Indiana University Press. *Advanced. Silverman, Kaja (1983) The Subject of Semiotics, New York: Oxford University Press. *For all those into the ideas of the self, the subject, identity politics and the rest. Social Semiotics: A Transdisciplinary Journal in Functional Linguistics, Semiotics and Critical Theory. *The Library holds all issues since the journal began in 1991. (Call no. J 302.22 SOC 1). Use selectively. Social Semiotics, External Reader. *Available on Closed Reserve contains several of the readings in the present list. Sturrock, John (1986) Structuralism, London: Paladin. *Insofar as semiotics can be considered structuralist, this is a useful background text. Tagg, John (1988) The Burden of Representation: Essays on Photographies and Histories, London: Macmillan Education. *More historical than semiotic, but an in-depth analysis of the history of the photographic image. Thwaites, Tony, Lloyd Davis & Warwick Mules (1994) Tools for Cultural Studies: An Introduction, Melbourne: Macmillan. *Despite its title, a very good basic introduction to semiotics and its applicability to many varieties of text, including visual texts. This is the set text for the external version of the unit. Tolson, Andrew (1996) Mediations: Text and Discourse in Media Studies, London: Arnold. *Useful for Media Studies majors. Turner, Graeme (1992) British Cultural Studies: An Introduction, New York: Routledge. *Contextualises the importance of semiotics in cultural studies and also includes useful examples of semiotic analysis. Umiker-Sebeok, Jean (ed.) (1987) Marketing and Semiotics, Amsterdam: Mouton de Gruyter. *Collection of essays on these two fields. Still useful in conjunction with the Floch text. Williamson, Judith (1978) Decoding Advertisements: Ideology and Meaning in Advertising, London and New York: Marion Boyars. *One of the first book-length applications of semiotics to advertising. Critical but insightful, even today. Wright, Will (1975) Six Guns and Society: A Structural Study of the Western, Berkeley: University of California Press. *The Western as a semiotic site. H335/535 Study Guide, page 8

Lectures and Tutorials Lectures are held on Fridays, 11:30-12:30, in the ECL3. NB: Change of venue from the Robertson Lecture Theatre. In the first week, you will be allocated to a one hour tutorial class. Tutorials begin in Week 2. There are no tutorials for Week 1. Tutorials begin following the second lecture. The Week 13 tutorial is given over to preparation for the final assessments the Conference and the exam. Tutorial times are as follows: Group A: Fridays 12:30-13:30 EH 3.51 Group B: Fridays 14:30-15:30 EH 3.51 Group C: Fridays 14:30-15:30 EH 3.19 Group D: Fridays 15:30-16:30 EH 3.19 Group E: Fridays 15:30-16:30 EH 3.51 H335/535 Study Guide, page 9

Lecture Schedule Week 1 Introduction: Social Semiotics and Industrial Images Reading: Floch, Introduction: from design to bricolage. Weeks 2 & 3 Focus: ADVERTISING Concepts and ideas: basic semiotic vocabulary / internal and external components of the sign / segmental and narrative analysis / narrative / identity / ethics / Industrial site: The Waterman Pen Reading: Floch, chapter 1. Weeks 4 & 5 Focus: LOGOS Concepts and ideas: visual invariants / messages / structural oppositions / the structural analysis of myth / Industrial site: The IBM and Apple Logos Reading: Floch, chapter 2. [[Note: a non-teaching week follows Week 4]] Weeks 6 & 7 Focus: FOOD Concepts and ideas: typography / genotype and phenotype / the métis / mythology / synaesthesia / bricolage / Industrial site: Michel Bras at Laguiole Reading: Floch, chapter 3. H335/535 Study Guide, page 10

Weeks 8 & 9 Focus: FASHION Concepts and ideas: branding / visual elements / classical vs. baroque / continuity vs. discontinuity / the ethical grid / more problems of identity and ethics / Industrial site: Coco Chanel and the Total Look Reading: Floch, chapter 4. [[Note: two non-teaching weeks follow Week 9. Time for serious preparation for the Conference]] Weeks 10 & 11 Focus: DEPARTMENT STORES Concepts and ideas: consumption values / ideology / the semiotic grid / the Epicurean / the chine / Industrial site: Habitat and Ikea Reading: Floch, chapter 5. Weeks 12 & 13 Focus: INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS Concepts and ideas: the not-sign / taxonomy / objects as heroes / bricolage (reprise) / Industrial Site: The Opinel Knife Reading: Floch, chapter 6. H335/535 Study Guide, page 11

Assessment The letter grades used in Murdoch University unit assessment are as follows: HD High Distinction 80-100% D Distinction 70-79% C Credit 60-69% P Pass 50-59% CP Conceded Pass 45-49% UP Ungraded Pass 50% or above N Fail below 45% S Discretionary 45-49% supplementary assessment Note that in cases of extenuating personal circumstances such as serious personal illness or bereavement, there is provision for deferred assessment in the unit as a whole. Refer to the current University Handbook for details. Your attention is drawn to the Programme s Progress Regulations, also in the current University Handbook. General Policy on Assessment Students should consult the University Handbook regulations under Assessment (regulations 40-48). Plagiarism and Collusion Plagiarism constitutes using the work of another without indicating by referencing that the ideas expressed are not your own. Collusion (or unauthorised collaboration) constitutes joint effort between students or others, in preparing material submitted for assessment, except where this has been approved by the unit coordinator. The University regards most seriously any acts of H335/535 Study Guide, page 12

dishonesty in assessment such as plagiarism, collusion, resubmission of previously marked work in different units, examination misconduct and theft of other students work. These acts could result in penalties including failure in the unit and possible exclusion from the University. For further details please refer to the section on Dishonesty in Assessment in the current Murdoch Handbook and Calendar (page 20). Non-Discriminatory Language Note: the paragraphs below are the general University policy on nondiscriminatory language. Students in H335 should be critically aware of the subtle semiotic work that discriminatory, non-discriminatory and policy languages can perform. Murdoch University is committed to the use of non-discriminatory language in all forms of communication. Students and staff should avoid the use of discriminatory language in units and in all other activities within the University. This applies to both oral and written communication. Discriminatory language is that which refers in abusive terms to gender, race, age, sexual orientation, citizenship or nationality, ethnic or language background, physical or mental ability, or political or religious views, or which stereotypes groups in an adverse manner. This is not meant to preclude or inhibit legitimate academic debate on any issue; however the language used in such debate should be non-discriminatory and sensitive to these matters. It is important to avoid the use of discriminatory language in your written work. The most common form of discriminatory language in academic work tends to be in the area of gender inclusiveness. You are therefore requested to check your work for this, and to ensure it is non-discriminatory in all respects. H335/535 Study Guide, page 13

Assignments * 1. Conference or Essay Option A: Industrial Image-Making Conference, 50% To be held: Monday 10th to Wednesday 12th November 2003, inclusive Venue: Brian Hill Lecture Theatre During the course of the semester particularly in tutorials students will work towards the end-of-semester Industrial Image-Making Conference. Students may choose to work alone or in teams of up to three. (For group work, where exhibited items are clearly authored, students must agree upon either collective or individual assessment.) Work may vary from hands-on design work (clearly informed by social-semiotic ideas) to illustrated presentations of the results of research into the socialsemiotic analysis of visual identities. Each presentation will be allocated up to 15 minutes and must be broadly grouped under one of the following section titles: Advertising Logos Food Fashion Department Stores Industrial Products Important date: By 4:30pm on Monday 13th October, students must submit a Conference Proposal detailing their work at the Conference, including an Abstract. (This is based on professional industrial and academic conference procedures and is to be taken very seriously. Unless all Proposals are submitted by the due date, the Conference as a whole cannot be organised.) An electronic form will be provided and Proposal submissions can be made by e-mail. The quality of the Proposal is part of the assessment for Option A. It is worth 15/50 marks (i.e., 7.5% of the overall grade for the * Please note: students enrolled in the H535 version of the unit (usually MA or Honours students) may seek personal variations from the assessment schedule in order to bring it into line with their research interests. This should be done as early in the semester as possible. H335/535 Study Guide, page 14

unit). Failure to submit a proposal by the due date will mean the student automatically defaults to Option B, below. The unit co-ordinator will also accept tenders for one team of up to three students to act as conference organisers and facilitators. (That is, in place of presenting at the Conference.) These students will be assessed on (a) the quality of their tender; (b) their design of conference publications and web materials; (c) their capacity to design and organise the event itself; (d) a submitted document explaining the design rationale for the Conference. Tenders close at 4:30 on Monday 13th October. All students must attend all days of the Conference as delegates. Attendance sheets will be circulated. Further detailed instructions on this assessment item will be distributed during lectures and tutorials. Also see the previous years Conference programs at the unit website: http://wwwmcc.murdoch.edu.au/~mchoul/ Option B: Major Essay, 50% Due date: 10th November 2003 Topic: Write a detailed semiotic analysis of a specific industrial image, including in-depth reference to its historical and social contexts. Length: 4000-5000 words 2. Tutorial work, 25% Tutorials will be the main workshops where students and tutors work towards bringing together the social-semiotic phenomena, concepts and sites dealt with in the unit. They will also be the venue for discussing and negotiating topics for the final Conference (see above). From time to time, tutors will allocate short preparatory assignments towards these ends and students will be assessed on the quality of their work. H335/535 Study Guide, page 15

3. Examination, 25% To be held during the Semester 2 assessment period (17th-28th November). The examination will take the form of a test on a selection from the various semiotic concepts covered in the unit. The minimum University examination time is two hours; however, the test can be completed in one hour. Note: Students must pass all components (including tutorial work and full participation as delegates at the Conference) to pass in this unit. H335/535 Study Guide, page 16