Understanding Symbols

From the time of Stone Age cave paintings to the present, symbols have served as a powerful means of communication. Symbols bring a lot to mind. They can represent ideas and beliefs; give commands and warnings; sell products and ideas; evoke thoughts and feelings. Visual symbols are all around us, and we are constantly interacting with and interpreting them.

Reading Symbols

Like reading words, you must “read” symbols in order to derive their meaning, both denotative and connotative. Denotative meaning is the more immediate surface meaning. For example, the American flag uses 50 stars to represent the 50 states and 13 stripes to represent the 13 original colonies.

But symbols also hold connotative, or secondary, meaning. This meaning stems from the personal associations you may have with a symbol, based on your unique experience, beliefs, and culture. For some people, the American flag may evoke thoughts of freedom, democracy, patriotism, and opportunity—ideas connotative of their particular experience.

When you encounter symbols, ask these questions:

• What does the symbol look like as a whole?
• What are the symbol’s individual parts?
• What is the symbol’s literal meaning? What does it represent?
• Does the symbol command you to do something? If so, what?
• How does the symbol make you feel?
• What other ideas do you associate with this symbol?
• How might someone with a different experience than yours “read” this symbol?