Jennifer Cheng - 26018535

ESSAY TOPIC: HOW HAVE ARTISTS, DESIGNERS AND/OR

ARCHITECTS ENGAGED WITH THE LANGUAGE OF ADVERTISING?

Advertising is governed by the principles of semiotics. The relationship

between the signifier and the signified is the denotation, meaning the literal or

obvious meaning, and connotation, in which we decipher the meaning of the image

according to our socio-cultural and personal associations. The language of

advertising is being used across artists, designers and architects through the use of

signs and codes that are presented differently across the three fields. In utilising these

signs appropriately, advertisements are able to appeal to specific demographics of

consumers. Architects such as Milton Black have engaged in the language of

advertising in his building, Tail o the Pup made in 1946 where the building itself

advertises the food that it is selling. The promotion of the hot dog stand was further

enhanced from the contrast between the architecture and the environment. The artist,

Darren Sylvester, applies the characteristics of advertising in his photographs such as

My Baby Message Me made in 2006 by incorporating a hyper-real look to the

pictures making it feel nostalgic yet distant at the same time. Lastly, the designer

Barbara Kruger also reflects on the features of advertising where she grabs the

attention of consumers through the use of colours and type in her work Face It

(Green) made in 2007, in which she also uses the means of mass-production to

promote her designs.

Architecture may be seen as a structure meant for only functional purposes,

but it is also being used in our visual culture as a form of communication.

Unknowingly, we commonly do experience architecture as communication, even

while recognising its functionality1. At its very core, a house acts as a womb2 1 Umberto Eco, Function and Sign: the Semiotics of Architecture, in Rethinking Architecture: A Reader in Cultural Theory, Neil Leach (London: Routledge, 1997), 182, eBook collection (http://books.google.com.au/books?id=o5Q56G7opmcC&pg=PA165&lpg=PA165&dq=Roland+Barthes+on+architecture&source=bl&ots=qTcGTSSDt0&sig=XcLCdKT0ZDoFNC9d_2hW5mtc4_U&hl=en&sa=X&ei=cEmNU5q1NcLkkAWToIGwDQ&ved=0CCQQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=182&f=false) Accessed June 3, 2014 2 Umberto Eco, Function and Sign: the Semiotics of Architecture, in Rethinking Architecture: A Reader in Cultural Theory, Neil Leach (London: Routledge, 1997), 183, eBook collection (http://books.google.com.au/books?id=o5Q56G7opmcC&pg=PA165&lpg=PA165&dq=Roland+Barthes+on+architecture

which its sole purpose is to offer a sense of homeliness and protection for our families

and us, but now as soon as there is a society, every usage is converted into a sign of

itself2. As society is constructed in a way where the majority rules, the naturalization of using architecture by the mass nowadays is like a form of

communication itself, informing the audience of the function to be fulfilled.3 For

example, a home which everyone recognises as a place to take shelter and build their

own family, signifies that purpose to others, even when they are not being used3. Therefore, the common or obvious way in which society would denote the house

would be the function it makes possible4, while the connotation of the house would

be a certain ideology of the function5, such as the ideas of family or security.

An architecture such as Tail o the Pup made by Milton Black in 1946 is an

example of architecture used for consumerism purposes. Being mimetic -type

novelty architecture, the stand becomes the symbol itself by blatantly constructing the

stand to look like a hot dog that was the product they sold. Very similar to The Duck

and the Decorated Shed made in 1977 by Dennis Scott Brown and Robert Venturi,

both the hot dog stand and the duck has become an abstract form of a sign that grabs

the attention of the audience. From its peculiar shape in which the society is most

familiar with, it successfully denotes to the public of its function as a hot dog stand.

This was only made possible by the context in which the hot dog stand is in. For

instance, if the stand was placed in Disneyland, it may seem ordinary as Disneyland

constructs dream-like buildings that completely separate the fairytale world from

reality, and so abstract buildings like Tail o the Pup may seem completely normal

to customers of Disneyland who are engrossed in that world. However, as the hot dog &source=bl&ots=qTcGTSSDt0&sig=XcLCdKT0ZDoFNC9d_2hW5mtc4_U&hl=en&sa=X&ei=cEmNU5q1NcLkkAWToIGwDQ&ved=0CCQQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=182&f=false) Accessed June 3, 2014 3 Umberto Eco, Function and Sign: the Semiotics of Architecture, in Rethinking Architecture: A Reader in Cultural Theory, Neil Leach (London: Routledge, 1997), 183, eBook collection (http://books.google.com.au/books?id=o5Q56G7opmcC&pg=PA165&lpg=PA165&dq=Roland+Barthes+on+architecture&source=bl&ots=qTcGTSSDt0&sig=XcLCdKT0ZDoFNC9d_2hW5mtc4_U&hl=en&sa=X&ei=cEmNU5q1NcLkkAWToIGwDQ&ved=0CCQQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=182&f=false) Accessed June 3, 2014 4 Umberto Eco, Function and Sign: the Semiotics of Architecture, in Rethinking Architecture: A Reader in Cultural Theory, Neil Leach (London: Routledge, 1997), 184, eBook collection (http://books.google.com.au/books?id=o5Q56G7opmcC&pg=PA165&lpg=PA165&dq=Roland+Barthes+on+architecture&source=bl&ots=qTcGTSSDt0&sig=XcLCdKT0ZDoFNC9d_2hW5mtc4_U&hl=en&sa=X&ei=cEmNU5q1NcLkkAWToIGwDQ&ved=0CCQQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=182&f=false) Accessed June 3, 2014 5 Umberto Eco, Function and Sign: the Semiotics of Architecture, in Rethinking Architecture: A Reader in Cultural Theory, Neil Leach (London: Routledge, 1997), 187, eBook collection (http://books.google.com.au/books?id=o5Q56G7opmcC&pg=PA165&lpg=PA165&dq=Roland+Barthes+on+architecture&source=bl&ots=qTcGTSSDt0&sig=XcLCdKT0ZDoFNC9d_2hW5mtc4_U&hl=en&sa=X&ei=cEmNU5q1NcLkkAWToIGwDQ&ved=0CCQQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=182&f=false) Accessed June 3, 2014

stand exists in reality on the normal streets of Los Angeles, the contrast between the

surreal hot dog stand and the generic buildings in the environment further amplifies

the iconographic characteristic of the stand, improving the message to the general

public that it is a hot dog stand that sells hot dogs. This in turn connotes the ideas of

the purpose being fulfilled, or satisfied after purchasing and eating the hot dog

from the stand. Architecture does not simply denote its functionality; the symbolic

design is able to connote ideals that may represent its status or emotional support that

is only made possible from its functionality.

Not only has semiotics has been used in artworks, the characteristics of

advertisements have been used in order to clearly convey a message from the artwork

to the audience. Both denotation and connotation are inseparable in other forms of art,

as the signifier is inevitably linked with the signified. However, it can be easily

distinguished in photography where denotation is what is photographed6 and

connotation is how it is photographed.6 In Darren Sylvesters photograph, My Baby Message Me made in 2006, he creates hyper-real scenarios out of everyday

stories, much like the conventions of advertising with all its wrinkle-free trappings

of desire, fame and ambition7 creating a sense of familiarity yet distant at the same

time. In this photograph, Sylvester displays an ordinary woman sitting in a park in

which everyone can easily recognise. This enhances the connection the audience has

for the picture, much like advertisements where they use common sceneries with

common people to make it look real. The connotation of the photograph would be

the way in which Sylvester brings the focal point to the woman by utilising the high

quality and bright colours that is focused onto her, much like the qualities of

perfection in advertisements. Also, the way in which he photographs her body

language evokes a sense of vulnerability and sadness within the woman as she looks

down to the side, enabling us to be able to create a narrative for the woman when we

link it with the title. As the woman is an ordinary girl who is not glamorous or a star,

it is able to evoke more emotions within the viewers who are also just ordinary

citizens. In a way, this photograph is almost promoting the experience with how it

incorporates the characteristics of advertising on such an everyday situation. 6 Fiske, John, Introduction to Communication studies, 2nd edition, (London, Routledge 1990) 86, eBook collection, http://books.google.com.au/books?id=Th6B6ZCJq_QC&dq=Fiske,+John+(1982):+Introduction+to+Communication+Studies.+London:+Routledge&lr (Accessed 3rd June 2014) 7 Ministry for the Arts, Artbank, Ministry for the Arts, http://arts.gov.au/resources/newsletters/art-and-culture/2012/02/art-bank (Accessed 3rd June 2014)

According to Roland Barthes, myths also play a part in the language of advertising. A

myth is the sign that reflects major culturally-variable concepts underpinning a

particular worldview.8 In Sylvesters photograph, the clothing and buildings hints the

era the photograph was taken in. In relation to the title where the term message was

used, it shows that the myth of this photograph is of the modern or digital age. Thus,

this scenario in which our generation are most familiar with can be further connected

with the photograph. Not only do artists used semiotics to appeal to the masses, they

also utilise the features of advertisements in order to provoke emotions within the

readers.

Lastly, designers have also utilised other languages of advertising like the use

of type and colour to promote their ideas. Barbara Kruger is a famous designer who

makes direct and powerful messages through her signature agitprop style9 in her

works. Face It (green) her work in 2007, she used a black and white photo and

applied a green hue with overlaid captions set in black-on-on Futura Bold Oblique.

She would often use a striking phrase that is complimented by the picture in order to

provoke the viewers. In this work, she uses cropping of a picture of a garment with a

label that says, This luxurious garment wont make you rich or be beautiful, making

a statement about the common idea that society has today. That is even to this day, the

hierarchy between the wealthy and poor remains omnipresent in our society. In our

cold and judgmental society, people are forced to wear beautiful clothing and

expensive accessories to mask there so-called low status in order to be able to fit in

to the high-class. Barbara contends that no matter how we try to mask ourselves to

blend in with the crowd, we cannot change who we are but we can only accept it. This

message is further emphasized through the caption Face it! From its large scale, the

text catches the attention of the viewers, provoking them to face the reality that

society unconsciously tries to avoid. This is further enhanced with the colour contrast

between the text and the image. While the detailed image has a general green hue, it

contrasts with the flat neutral colours of the text, thus making the type stand out more.

By layering found photographs from existing sources9 accompanied with the aggressive text, she involves the viewer in the struggle for power and control that her 8 Daniel Chandler, Semiotics for Beginners, Daniel Chandler, http://users.aber.ac.uk/dgc/Documents/S4B/sem06.html (Accessed 3rd June 2014) 9 The Art History Archive, Barbara Kruger, The Art History Archive, http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/feminist/Barbara-Kruger.html (accessed 3rd June 2014)

captions speak of.9 Much like a slogan of an advertisement, her captions are short and evocative which enables the viewers to be able to easily remember the message

that she tries to convey. To advertise her ideas to the masses, she makes a wide

distribution of her work in the form of umbrellas, tote bags, postcards, mugs, T-

shirts, posters, and so on9 acting like a constant reminder to society of her ideas. From Krugers example it can be seen that through the use of type and colour,

designers have been able to advertise their ideas to the general public.

The language of advertising has been used in the works of artists, designers

and architects. Architects like Milton Black greatly focuses on the semiotics of

advertising, that is, the signifier and the signified. While the denotation of architecture

is the functionality of it, it is linked with the connotation of the architect as the

architectural object could connote a certain ideology of the function. As the hot dog

stand is shaped as a hot dog, it is able to attract the consumers with its surreal design

that contrasts with the modern environment in which it sits in. Also using connotation

and denotation in their works, Darren Sylvester used these principles to provide hints

to the audience of the story behind his photograph. Unlike architecture, denotation

and connotation in photography are distinguishable. The two are separated, as

denotation is simply the singular objects that are in the photograph, but the

connotation is how the photograph is being presented. By making use of this,

Sylvester is able to evoke the viewers to create a narrative for the photographs,

putting it into the readers connotative context, while also using the high quality and

bright colours that is frequently used in advertisements to make the photograph look

as though it is promoting the story. With the use of existing images accompanied with

large captions, Barbara Kruger uses the elements and principles that are frequently

used in advertising to publicize her statements on society. Whilst doing so, she uses

the technology we have today in order to mass-produce her designs on to every-day

products to further promote her ideals. Although they do not all utilise the

characteristics of advertising the same way, ultimately they achieve the same purpose

of communicating their ideas and appealing to consumers.

Bibliography The Art History Archive, Barbara Kruger, The Art History Archive, http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/feminist/Barbara-Kruger.html (accessed 3rd June 2014) Chandler, Daniel, Semiotics for Beginners, Daniel Chandler http://users.aber.ac.uk/dgc/Documents/S4B/sem06.html (Accessed 3rd June 2014) Eco, Umberto, Function and Sign: the Semiotics of Architecture, in Rethinking Architecture: A Reader in Cultural Theory, Neil Leach (London: Routledge, 1997), eBook collection http://books.google.com.au/books?id=o5Q56G7opmcC&pg=PA165&lpg=PA165&dq=Roland+Barthes+on+architecture&source=bl&ots=qTcGTSSDt0&sig=XcLCdKT0ZDoFNC9d_2hW5mtc4_U&hl=en&sa=X&ei=cEmNU5q1NcLkkAWToIGwDQ&ved=0CCQQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=182&f=false (Accessed June 3rd, 2014) Fiske, John, Introduction to Communication studies, 2nd edition, (London, Routledge 1990) 86, eBook collection, http://books.google.com.au/books?id=Th6B6ZCJq_QC&dq=Fiske,+John+(1982):+Introduction+to+Communication+Studies.+London:+Routledge&lr (Accessed 3rd June 2014) Ministry for the Arts, Artbank, Ministry for the Arts, http://arts.gov.au/resources/newsletters/art-and-culture/2012/02/art-bank (Accessed 3rd June 2014)