Look at Fiske, J. (2002) 'An Introduction To Communication Studies' if you are struggling.
I have chosen to look at the above piece of design and analyse it using Shannon and Weavers communication model. In this particular example the information source can be considered as the client who asked for an advertisement to be created in order to promote the empty space for promotion. The next step is to determine who is 'transmitting the message' and in the case of the above example it would be the designer who has combined type and image to visually communicate their intended message. The 'channel' or 'media outlet' is the billboard itself and its positioning. The design itself is very clever and I feel is quite entropic. When a billboard is empty most of the time it would just be blank, perhaps there would be some simple text in the middle, but certainly nothing as complex as this. At first glance you would assume its an advert for a new TV programme, perhaps even a night club or perfume, due to Paris Hiltons synonymy with partying and the Hollywood lifestyle. However it is only on second glance that you notice the word 'vacant' and the phone number on the right hand side, combine it with the knowledge that Miss Hilton is not the brightest and you truly understand the meaning of the billboard. The text could be considered quite redundant as it clearly communicates the purpose of the advert and if it where to be displayed purely on its own then I doubt there would be any confusion. The image is the component that takes slightly longer to process, but once you do succeed in processing you are bound to feel a little smug at the fact that not only do you understand the insult, but appreciate its humour also. Finally the 'destination' or 'audience' is anyone who notices the advert and receives the intended message, with hopefully someone taking an interest in buying up the promotional space.
Despite the fact that on the Shannon and Weaver model 'noise source' is shown pointing at the central linear component; 'channel', there is the potential for possible noise at any stage. For example the 'transmitter' or designer in our case could have gotten the composition completely wrong or made the text too small, or the image too big for that matter. A different colour could have been chosen for the word 'vacant' that made it blend into the image more and not stand out, therefore losing the message of the billboard altogether. There is also the threat of other billboards imposing on this one, and with so much information on display the meaning of all gets lost. Additionally as the image above actually displays the positioning of the billboard is obviously on a main road somewhere. Depending on the speed limit of this road or how busy it gets with the possibility of traffic jams, the amount of information taken in by the audience may not be sufficient enough. However out of all these generic problems, there is one more complex and specific to this billboard that stands out the most. What if you don't know who Paris Hilton is? After all the reason why I understand the joke it because I am of a generation that is used to seeing this woman's face plastered on every gossip magazine, but a slightly older generation might not be. It's almost as if it's a private joke between the designer and the intended audience, with the ability to exclude anyone who might not understand it. Another noise source is the fact that Miss Hilton actually made a formal complaint over the use of her image and demanded it be removed immediately. Surely if this were the case then the billboard would still function as the text is redundant enough, but it certainly wouldn't be as entertaining.
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