The interpretation of visual cues on billboards in urban and periurban areas : a semiotic analysis

Abstract

In the South African advertising industry, blame is often cast on the designer for a failed campaign. However, human interactions are multi-faceted and deserve further exploration, particularly if the designer is expected to be socially responsible. If this is the case, one has to consider society as a whole if potentially life-saving or socially transformative advertising campaigns are going to be impactful. This study focuses on a specific public awareness campaign related to HIV/Aids education, the loveLife campaign, and how its billboards were interpreted. This study employs a qualitative research design and semiotic analysis with student participants from schools in Cape Town, South Africa, to investigate how the target audience understands and interprets campaign billboards.