Connotations and Denotations

Today we learnt about denotations and connotations and how to use them. We learnt that connotations show the idea or meaning suggested by/or associated with a word or thing whereas a denotation is more visual and therefore is an explicit or direct meaning rather than by a suggestion.

We then moved on to trying out using denotations and connotations on our own, when looking at a visual image for an advertisement for Calvin Kleins fragrance 'Eternity'. In the image for the perfume advert we saw a woman with her daughter on her shoulders surrounded by a countryside and sun beaming down on them from the top right corner. The image displayed text at the top that read 'Eternity' in block capital letters; this being the name of the perfume. Also the name of the brand 'Calvin Klein' in a smaller font size in the centre bottom of the image, with a reasonably sized smaller font underneath that read 'Perfume', both being in lower case letters.

Some of the denotations that we saw within the image were how all of the text was in grey and in different font sizes yet the same font type. The location for the advertisement image was set in the countryside with a harsh sunlight beaming down from the top of the image, which was mainly aimed from the top right hand side of the image.


Some of the connotations that we saw within the image were how the font was thin and let the actual photography dominate the shot rather than the text, perhaps showing that the image is the main way to convey the story behind the campaign and for people to be able to think about the product in a story manor rather than just text to tell the customers what the product is with no imagination.

The font is also fairly subtle and as it is in a light grey shade, meaning that the perfume is timeless and can be kept as part of heriatage within a family and can be passed down through generations as grey was the main source of colour of old photography therefore stating that although the perfume is modern, the scent is timeless, as is the relationship between the mother and daughter in the image, and in real life.


Overall, for a first lesson, i feel as though i learnt a lot about how to use both connotations and denotations properly and i will be using them as much as i can whenever analyising work from now on.