Urban Signs and Symbols (College Work)

Symbols and Signs are there to explain certain things to us, we need something to represent an object or a place so we can understand what it is telling us, maybe a image to represent your favorite team. The people who happen to research these sorts of things and the effects it makes to our own brains are called Semioticians. Semioticians research day to day on symbols and signs, working to create images in which we can understand in our own every day lives. Modern day Semiotics was created by a guy called Charles Sanders Peirce. Peirce really had the idea and interest in the world around us, and the way we treated and reacted to certain things, making sure each symbol or sign had a meaning behind the person.
Although, modern day Semioticians study not JUST the signs them selves but the way it means to people who live in different standards, and in contrast with one another. Other cultures could see colours differently and the way they mean, or a certain object could offend many, either way, Semioticians research each and every detail.
Semioticians will have to look at three different types of signage and symbols which make up these images; Icons, Indexes and Symbols. 



Icon and Indexes Images;
Icons, you can remember the meaning if you think about your icon, or dream person who is the "Icon" of your life, your infulence. So, an icon in another perspective is something which represents something to us, which resembles an object or being that we can truly relate to. For example, a no smoking sign; This is an icon because there is a cigarette placed behind a red vertical line, and a red circle. To many countries, red is a "disallowing" or "warning" colour. Although, Index images are quite the same as Icons accept Indexes give an order, telling you to do something. This could mean the signs on a road, what way goes to a certain city or area, and where the other goes, is the road slippery or stray rocks that could fall at any moment. These are called indexes. The two images beside this text shows examples of both icon and index usage.




Symbolic Images;
Now Symbolic Images, or Symbols, which ever you would prefer, these have absolutely no meaning what so ever between it and with the place which it is seen, which could be an object or area. This could include a Danger Sign, Road sign, Religious Symbols, or anything which could possibly direct you to think roughly 
what it means in perticular, but, in fact, could mean something completely different. Symbols are seen all over the internet, mostly, or even programs you may possibly use every day. (Such as Word Documents, or posting a blog.) The Undo button, for example, is an arrow pointing to the left (Or backwards as some people would like to think.) which resembles, to us, to "Undo" what we have changed or done. Religious Symbols, on the other hand, are known all across the globe. Each have hidden meanings which mean to the religious siblings, but the whole meaning could have changed over time, making it a Symbolic entity.