Breaking Down The Cover Of Issue 11 Of Hardware By Roland Barthes

There is more to a design than what you simply see. And there is more to a design than this. This essay will aim to break down the cover of issue 11 of Hardware using Roland Barthes theory of semiotics, alongside other associated theories. Denotations, connotations and meaning will be discussed in detail, and a critical analysis of these meanings will follow, alongside extended research.

A particular point of interest with regards to this design is the sign of the weaponry used by the protagonist Hardware. This is the first ‘sign’ noticed in the text. Chandler (2002. p.18) summarises signs through ‘the signifier’ and ‘the signified’ based on the Saussurean Model (1974). The chain weapon used by Hardware is the signifier. The audience sees

The radial layout of the background suggests it’s expanding out onto the page, almost moving out towards the reader. This sense of motion helps give the cover energy, as well as pushing the main focus (the hero Hardware) out onto the page. This goes past the standard informational level of meaning, and starts looking at the symbolic level (Barthes, 1977, p.53). It is worth noting that even this basic background illustration also evokes traditional Futurism within its design. Just like the Street Light (Balla, 1909), line work really emphasises power and velocity, allowing the hero to jump out of the page. This is really clever in terms of design and form because the

He stresses the importance of the Third Meaning. It is an obtuse meaning. He goes on to describe how this third meaning is not always intentional. For example, it can apply it to this comic cover. There are lots of polysemic meanings like the chain described earlier and it’s ambiguity. Another example is the red colour surrounding the helmet, suggesting all of the energy and power comes from the mind of this scientific hero. It could also be interpreted as the red being a symbol of the danger the hero is facing. However, to read further into subtle details one can begin to question the design. The position of the hero is peculiar. It could be argued that he looks powerful and heroic, however, there are signs that in fact he looks quite helpless. The angle of the frame makes him small and almost submerges him in the depths of the background. His hand is open. Could this possibly suggest he is struggling and needs the support of the audience? Now when looking back onto the once angry and determined facial expression, a worried and panicky ideal comes to mind. This also ties in the idea of mythology (Barthes, 2009). The connotation is the universe. The myths, therefore, are then shared ideas relating to space. There is a myth that space is isolated and scary for example. This is quite dependent on the individual viewing the design,