Signification of the Visual Text of Brand Logo Within the Framework of Barthes's and Van Leeuwen's Semiotics:The Case Study of Luxury Automobiles

In this Paper, the authors aim at understanding either the inmportance of the origin (the original features) of the brand logo or its audience's experience acts to be more effective. The purpose of the present study is the semiotic review of the 14 best-brand logos of automobile luxury goods through analysis of data and questionnaire which the authors can reach the rules governing on the brand logo with a focus on the two terms of the origin of the luxury brand's logo and its audience experience, and based on the indicators defined for each, within the framework of Barthes's visual semiotics and Van Leeuwen's social semiotics. The findings reveal that what is important to attract the attention of the customers of luxury automobiles in Iran is the audience's experience of the logo, which has tangibly got a head of the role of the origins and the identity of the goods. Accordingly, the difference in the perceived meanings of every brand logo by the audience indicates that the meanings received from every logo are not uniform and it is based on culture, so that individuals, based on their individual experience and their socio-cultural insights, understand the different implied meanings from a similar logo; it means the meanings received from every logo are not universal and regardless of audiences culture. This affects the success of the goods and maybe leads to different results in business.