This Means This, This Means That: A User's Guide to Semiotics, 2nd ed.

Citation

Conejo, F. (2013), "This Means This, This Means That: A User's Guide to Semiotics, 2nd ed.", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 30 No. 3, pp. 310-310. https://doi.org/10.1108/07363761311328973

Consumers have evolved into being largely symbolic. They seek products and brands not only for what they do, but also for what they mean. It is through products and brands that consumers reference different aspects of their lives, building, maintaining and modifying their individual, family, and social selves. Marketing has thus become a semiotic venture, fundamentally creating and selling meaning.

Product and brand meanings are sources of competitive advantage; hence the need to develop strong and appealing symbols. Yet semiotics, the science that studies signs and meaning, is quite dense and unpalatable. The average person must either trudge through esoteric theory, or be content with rather light treatments, both of limited use.

This Means This, This Means That: A User's Guide to Semiotics by Sean Hall (University of London Design Department and former Philosophy Lecturer) resolves the above situation. The book strikes a good balance between theoretical rigour and practical applicability while discussing the intricacies of modern meaning and communication. Its basic premise is that neither are as straightforward as they might appear, and that a certain amount of thought does need to go into crafting effective communications.

As author Hall mentions (pp. 18‐9), “But as we have seen, semiotics is not about simply accepting the meanings that we think are being given to us. Instead, it is about questioning, reframing, and sometimes making shifts in the perspectives from which certain signs are viewed […] The meanings of signs may be stranger than we think. That is the message of this book”.

This Means This, This Means That addresses the complexities of modern communication by discussing key semiotic concepts and issues. The book begins with a very useful introduction. In it, a general overview of the field of semiotics is first provided. Natural, artificial and supernatural semiotics are reviewed until reaching the field of anthroposemiotics, the focus of this book. Human semiotics is then explained, serving as bridge to the remainder of the book.

Eight chapters progressively address different semiotic topics related to human communication:

1. 1.

   Signs and Signing;

2. 2.

   Ways of Meaning;

3. 3.

   Conceptual Structures;

4. 4.

   Visual Structures;

5. 5.

   Textual Structures;

6. 6.

   Matters of Interpretation;

7. 7.

   Framing Meaning; and

8. 8.

   Stories and Storytelling.

Chapters typically begin with a two‐page general introduction to their topic. While concise, introductions do cover the necessary semiotic theory and place the topic within a broader context to go into subsequent detail. Each chapter then addresses about ten semiotic concepts related to that chapter's respective topic. Concepts go from general to specific, allowing readers to build on and refine what they have just learned until a comprehensive overview is achieved.

One of this book's big strengths is its very accessible Q+A format. Chapter concepts are all presented as full‐page illustrated questions. This introduces concepts through visual examples, and engages readers a priori by making them reflect on communication issues to that point perhaps ignored or taken for granted. Immediately thereafter, turning the page, questions and examples are discussed, explaining the semiotic concept at hand. This allows readers to compare their initial response with the theory behind the concept, engaging in creative thinking. This interactive approach is not only much more fun than trying to understand the abstract and dull semiotic theory typically found in other books. Most importantly, it is much more effective in teaching semiotics, better preparing readers in regards to the intricacies of signs, meaning and communication.

This Means This, This Means That ends with a brief Conclusion, followed by a Bibliography and Picture Credits. The lack of an Index might be a limitation: If the book is kept for reference, then one is forced to use the table of contents to find concepts being looked up. While an Index would have been ideal, the Table of Contents is structured along single semiotic concepts, so finding the ones of interest should not be that difficult.

Another of the book's weaknesses, within the present context, might be that it only occasionally provides specific examples related to marketing, advertising, or branding. While more of the latter would have been nice, the book's broad scope keeps it varied and interesting, preventing it from becoming overly specific and thus limited.

This Means This, This Means That should in first instance be geared towards those studying communications‐related fields, be it design, journalism, or marketing. In the case of the latter, the book could very well be used for a university course on marketing semiotics. It provides solid foundations, easily complemented with marketing‐specific lectures and examples discussed in class. Another audience for this book might be those already working in communications‐related fields wanting to refresh or enhance their skills. Both should find the book useful.

In sum, This Means This, This Means That is a useful, basic semiotics primer. It strikes a good balance between the theoretical and practical, presenting semiotics in a quite understandable and fun way. It is also written in a lively and engaging style, which should further captivate readers. Definitely worthwhile.