Perception of Visual Semiotics in Cartoon Character Design for Advertising

Abstract

The message(s) conveyed to the public by semiotic profile attribute characteristics may not be congruent across demographic groupings. As a result, disparate messages are communicated to a public to whom a specific message has been disseminated. The main objective of the study was to analyse select semiotics for disparate impacts on consumers. The respondents’ aged 18 years and above were sampled from clusters covering Nairobi. Pre-tests were conducted by a selected panel of three experts. Idioms describing profession, personality, and social class were used to design questionnaires further pre-tested using Cronbach’s Alpha. The Kruskal-Wallis test was applied to data collected on a 6 point Likert scale, to assess the statistical significance and differences in scores for choices between groups. Taking cue from the Semiotics Theory, it can be seen that the dissimilar socialisation of the respondents due to their disparate demographics affected their assessment of the external semiotics deployed. This study of pictorial metaphors as found in cartoon semiotics offers a position from which to view the effect of the signs and symbols employed in cartoon characters and their influence on consumers’ perception of cartoon images. Further research should be carried out on a wider variety of semiotic material to understand and create a topology of the visual literacy patterns. This could inform the design of audience specific cartoon material that communicates effectively.