The focus of this web site is to provide information on communication and the study of signs (Semiotics) for designers, artists and other visual communicators. Its aim is to include practitioners as well as students and scholars. The theories discussed here will provide an understanding of how information and ideas are passed along and how these relationships can be explored in order to make messages more diverse, aesthetically interesting and purposeful. Though this site is aimed at nonlinguistic communicators, this is not to imply that the theories discussed here are not applicable to all languages but rather to say that they go beyond linguistics. These theories extend beyond the formal languages of culture and covers the areas of individual thought and experience.

The secondary purpose of this site is to be an advocate for the theories of Semiotics over Semiology. Though the two terms are often informally used as synonyms, they refer to different theories of signs. Semiology is the study of signs first purposed by Ferdinand de Saussure, and as will be discussed, is most focused on how language works. Saussure's main interests did not lie in the world of signs(1) and his theories are most useful in the discussion of his main focus, linguistics. Unfortunately, Semiology is often taught to communicators who work outside of language and because it is a poor model for these complex relationships it does little to clarify the study of these signs. Semiology's place in education is do more to its relationship to other schools of philosophical thought than for its sign models. For communicators who need a better model of signs and communication, there are the theories of Charles Peirce (pronounced "purse") which he referrs to as Semiotics. The following discussions will focus on the usefulness of Peirce's and other related theories in the understanding and furthering of all forms of communication.