Semiotics or semiology is an investigation into how meaning is created and how meaning is communicated. It's basically the study of signs and sign processes, indication, designation, likeness, analogy, metaphor, symbolism, signification, and communication. It's origins lie in the academic study of how signs and symbols; visual and linguistic create meaning. It must be understood in the world of graphic design, visual communication design in particular. The word semiotics derived from Greek words: 'semeion' meaning 'sign' which is a lesson about the system of signs such as languages, codes, signals, and so forth. It's a way of seeing the world and broadening your understanding- for example it helps a designer to instill work with references which enable them to communicate several layers of information to another person whilst extracting meanings from words, sounds and pictures. Signs and symbols are physically recognizable representations of items, persons or ideas. Graphic designers would consider both the cognitive and denotative values that may be instilled into work due to the way the information is presented. Semiotics is used to develop a 'visual rhetoric' to help analyse design and ideas. Semiotics is in principle the discipline studying everything which can be used in order to lie. If something cannot be used to tell a lie, conversely it cannot be used to tell the truth: it cannot in fact be used "to tell" at all.” Umberto Eco
[Online] Available at: http://jayce-o.blogspot.com/2011/05/semiotics-in-graphic-design.html [Accessed: 30th April 2013]