See the ad first. Interpret it second.
Signum keeps what is visibly present in an advertisement separate from what it may mean, and shows which details support each reading. Every analysis in the archive is built from the same three layers.
One analysis, layer by layer
Tabasco ad
- What the ad shows
A whole cob of yellow corn, partially eaten with some kernels missing and topped with a few pieces of popcorn, rests on a white plate.
Observation: center-right of the image- What it may mean
Tabasco sauce is a versatile and essential condiment that can elevate even the simplest of foods, like corn on the cob.
Interpretation: main message- Why that interpretation fits
The reading rests on this detail and 2 others, not on the image as a whole:
- A bottle of Tabasco sauce with its distinctive red cap and diamond-shaped label stands upright on a beige surface.
- The composition places the product (Tabasco) and the food (corn) in close proximity, implying a direct relationship.
A supported reading, not ground truth
An interpretation can be plausible, useful, or contestable without being objectively true. Signum therefore exposes support instead of presenting model output as proven advertiser intent.
Confidence describes how strongly the available evidence supports the generated reading. It does not certify that the interpretation is correct.
More about the method
What each layer records
- What the ad shows
Visible text, objects, people, layout, colour, and composition, recorded without assigning meaning to them.
Recorded as observations.- What it may mean
Possible messages, persuasive techniques, associations, cultural codes, and ideological readings that those details support.
Recorded as interpretations.- Why that interpretation fits
Each interpretation points back to the visible details that support it and names the concepts used to explain the reading.
Recorded as evidence links and concept references.
Where the approach comes from
Signum is inspired by Judith Williamson’s Decoding Advertisements: Ideology and Meaning in Advertising (1978), particularly the idea that advertising transfers meanings from existing cultural systems onto products and consumers.
The project is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Williamson or the book’s publisher.
Why analysis runs locally
Image analysis runs through a local vision-model seam. The durable value is the inspectable structure around the result: visible detail, interpretation, evidence links, and concepts.
The public showcase is static; it does not expose the local analysis service to the internet.
What Signum does not claim
- It does not infer the advertiser’s true private intention.
- It does not treat semiotic interpretation as objective measurement.
- It does not collapse visible evidence and interpretation into one paragraph.
- It does not require a human approval step before a machine analysis can be inspected.