Article Overview

 Title: Analysing Images: A Social Semiotic Perspective

 Author: Claudia E. Stoian
 Core Focus: Briefly introduces the Grammar of Visual Design by Kress and van
Leeuwen (1996; 2006) using a honeymoon advertisement as a practical example.

1. Introduction

 Visual Communication: It is the method of sharing information and ideas through visual
means.
 Research Perspectives: Visuals have been studied through many lenses, including:
o Content analysis (counting and categorizing content).
o Cultural dimensions (how culture affects visuals).
o Anthropological studies and Psychoanalysis.
o Film/Television and Social Semiotics.
 Social Semiotics Definition: This perspective describes "semiotic resources"—what can
be said and done with images and how those actions are interpreted.
 Functional Approach: Visual resources are seen as tools that perform multiple
"metafunctions" at the same time to create meaning.

2. Visual Design

Visual social semiotics is based on Halliday’s theory of metafunctions, which says language
serves three roles: ideational, interpersonal, and textual. Kress and van Leeuwen renamed these
for visuals as:

1. Representational (Ideational)
2. Interactive (Interpersonal)
3. Compositional (Textual)

2.1 Representational Metafunction

This focuses on how experience and reality are encoded visually through two types of structures:
Narrative and Conceptual.

A. Narrative Structures: These show unfolding actions, events, or changes. They always
include a vector (a diagonal line showing direction).

 Action Processes: Contains a vector (like an arm or arrow) coming from a participant
called the Actor.
o Non-transactional: Only has an Actor.
 o Transactional: Has an Actor and a Goal (the person/thing receiving the action).
o Bidirectional: Participants act as both Actor and Goal (Interactors).
 Reactional Processes: The vector is formed by the direction of a look/glance.
o Reacter: The one looking.
o Phenomenon: The person or thing being looked at.
 Speech & Mental Processes: Use dialogue balloons (Sayers/Utterance) or thought
balloons (Sensers/Phenomenon).
 Conversion Processes: A chain of actions where a participant (Relay) is the Goal for one
person and the Actor for another.
 Circumstances: Secondary details that add information without vectors:
o Locative: The setting/location.
o Means: Tools used in the action.
o Accompaniment: Two participants shown together but not linked by a vector.

B. Conceptual Structures: These represent participants in terms of their stable class, structure,
or meaning.

 Classificational: Shows how participants relate to a category (Subordinate vs.

Superordinate).
 Analytical: Shows a "part-whole" structure where Possessive Attributes (the parts)
belong to a Carrier (the whole).
 Symbolic: Shows what a participant means.
o Attributive: Uses a Symbolic Attribute to define a Carrier.
o Suggestive: The meaning comes from the participant's own qualities.

C. Embedding: Narrative and conceptual structures can appear together (similar to complex
sentences). The size and prominence of elements determine which process is major or minor.

2.2 Interactive Metafunction

This focuses on the relationship between the represented participants (people in the image) and
the interactive participants (the real-life viewers).

 1. Image Act:
o Demand: The participant looks directly at the viewer, creating a visual "direct
address" and establishing a social connection.
o Offer: The participant does not look at the viewer, making them an object for
impersonal contemplation.
 2. Social Distance: Determined by the "size of frame."
o Close-up: Suggests an intimate or informal relationship (like friends).
o Medium or Long shot: Suggests more social distance.
 3. Point of View (Perspective):
o Subjective: Shows a specific perspective from the producer.
o Objective: Shows everything neutrally.
o Horizontal Angle: Frontal (involvement) vs. Oblique/Side (detachment).
 o Vertical Angle: High (viewer has power), Low (represented participant has
power), or Eye-level (equality).
 Modality: Refers to how "real" or reliable the image looks. It is judged by color
saturation, depth, brightness, and details.

2.3 Compositional Metafunction

This looks at how all elements are arranged to form a meaningful "text".

 Information Value: Meaning based on where things are placed:

o Left vs. Right: Left = Given (familiar info); Right = New (unknown info).
o Top vs. Bottom: Top = Ideal (the promise/essence); Bottom = Real
(practical/specific info).
o Centre vs. Margin: Centre is the core information; Margins are subservient.
 Salience: Makes certain elements more attractive or important using size, focus, color
contrast, or placement.
 Framing: The use of lines or empty space to connect or disconnect elements. Connected
elements are seen as one unit, while framed elements are seen as separate.

3. Interpretation of Visual Analysis

Applying these tools to the honeymoon ad shows:

 The couple looks at the viewer (Demand) at Eye-level, asking for a close, informal
relationship.
 The image is placed at the Top, representing the "Ideal" promise of a happy future.
 High Modality and Salience make the promise feel certain and persuasive to the client.

4. Conclusion

 Kress and van Leeuwen’s grammar provides the vocabulary to "read" images.
 It allows researchers to describe, observe, and interpret reality, interactions, and
compositions visually.
 Applications: This model is useful in promotion, websites, teaching, tourism, art, and
understanding non-verbal communication.

Analysing Images: A Social Semiotic Perspective

Abstract

This paper briefly explains an important theory of visual communication called Kress and van
Leeuwen’s grammar of visual design. It uses an advertisement image (about honeymoon
packages) to explain the theory. In the end, it discusses how this theory can be used in real-life
situations and different fields.

Keywords: visual communication, social semiotics, image analysis, metafunctions

1. Introduction

Visual communication means sharing ideas and information through images and visual elements.
It has been studied in many ways, such as:

 Content analysis
 Cultural studies
 Anthropology
 Psychology
 Film and media studies
 Social semiotics

This paper focuses on social semiotics, which studies how people use images to communicate
meaning and how others understand them.

According to this approach:

 Images are not just pictures; they are tools for communication
 They perform multiple functions at the same time to create meaning

This paper introduces Kress and van Leeuwen’s theory of visual design and explains it using
an advertisement image of honeymoon packages. It also highlights where this type of analysis
can be used.

2. Visual Design

The theory is based on Halliday’s idea that communication has three functions
(metafunctions):

 Ideational → about meaning and experience

 Interpersonal → about relationships
 Textual → about structure and organization

Kress and van Leeuwen applied these to visuals and renamed them:

 Representational
 Interactive
 Compositional
These functions work together to make images meaningful.

2.1 Representational Metafunction

This function explains how images show reality and experiences.

There are two main types of structures:

A. Narrative Structures

These show:

 Actions
 Events
 Changes

They include a vector (a line or direction showing action).

Example from the image:

 The couple’s arms and their gaze create vectors

Types of Narrative Processes:

1. Action Processes
o Actor performs an action
o Can be:
 Non-transactional (only actor)
 Transactional (actor + goal)
o In the image: the couple are interacting with each other (bidirectional action)
2. Reactional Processes
o Based on eye direction (gaze)
o Participants = Reacters
o Can be:
 Looking outside image
 Looking at someone inside image
o In the image: couple looks at the viewer
3. Speech and Mental Processes
o Use speech or thought bubbles
o Not present in this image
4. Conversion Processes
o Chain of actions between participants
o Not found in this image
Circumstances (Extra Elements)

These add more detail but are not essential:

 Location → setting/background
 Means → tools used
 Accompaniment → people together without action

In the image:

 Location = landscape
 Means = couple’s hands

B. Conceptual Structures

These show:

 Identity
 Meaning
 Relationships

Types:

1. Classificational
o Shows categories
o Not used in the image
2. Analytical
o Shows part–whole relationships
o Example:
 Trees, sky = parts
 Landscape = whole
3. Symbolic
o Shows deeper meaning
o In the image:
 Couple represents “happy newlyweds”

Combination of Structures

Images can combine different structures.

In this case:

 Main process: reaction (looking at viewer)

 Other processes: action + analytical

2.2 Interactive Metafunction

This function explains relationships between image and viewer.

Types of Participants

 Represented → people in the image

 Interactive → real viewers

Three Key Aspects

1. Image Act (Gaze)

 Demand → looking at viewer

 Offer → not looking at viewer

In the image:

 The couple looks directly at the viewer

 This creates a connection and invitation

2. Social Distance

Based on camera framing:

 Close-up → personal connection

 Medium → social
 Long shot → distant

In the image:

 Close-up shot → friendly, informal relationship

3. Point of View (Perspective)

Types:

 Subjective → limited view

 Objective → full view

Angles:

 Horizontal
o Frontal → involvement
o Side → distance
 Vertical
o High → viewer has power
o Low → subject has power
o Eye-level → equal

In the image:

 Frontal + eye-level → equality and closeness

Modality (Realism of Image)

Shows how real or believable the image looks.

It depends on:

 Color
 Brightness
 Detail
 Depth

In the image:

 Medium realism
 Looks believable and possible

2.3 Compositional Metafunction

This explains how elements are arranged to create meaning.

Three Systems
1. Information Value

Based on position:

Left vs Right

 Left = known (given)

 Right = new

In the image:

 Couple = known
 Landscape = new

Top vs Bottom

 Top = ideal (promise)

 Bottom = real (details)

In webpage layout:

 Image (top) = promise

 Text (bottom) = information

Centre vs Margin

 Centre = main idea

 Margin = less important

(Not used in this image)

2. Salience (Importance)

What attracts attention?

Factors:

 Size
  Color contrast
 Position

In the image:

 Couple stands out

 Word “Honeymoon” is highlighted

3. Framing

Shows connection or separation:

 Elements can be linked or separated

 Borders can create distinction

In this case:

 Image is framed separately from text

3. Interpretation of the Image

From analysis, the image shows:

 A happy newly married couple

 They are in nature (trees, sky)
 They look directly at the viewer

Meaning Created

 They invite the viewer to relate to them

 Suggest happiness and romance
 Build emotional connection

Persuasive Message

 The image promises a happy future

 Encourages viewer to imagine themselves like the couple
 Makes the advertisement convincing
4. Conclusion

Kress and van Leeuwen developed a system to understand images better.

They introduced three main functions:

 Representational → what is shown

 Interactive → relationship with viewer
 Compositional → arrangement of elements

Their model helps us:

 Understand visual communication

 Analyze images deeply
 Interpret meanings

Applications

This approach can be used in:

 Advertising
 Websites
 Education
 Art and paintings
 Tourism
 Cultural studies
 Architecture

Importance

 Helps students and researchers understand visuals

 Helps professionals create better and more persuasive designs