Att tala till de invigda : En semiotisk analys av kodifierat bildspråk, exkludering och legitimitet i lyxmodets fotografiska kampanjer - med Gucci som fallstudie

Sammanfattning

This study explores how luxury advertising has a tendency to use codified and symbolically ambiguous visual language rather than communicate products explicitly. Drawing on Pierre Bourdieu’s concepts of cultural and symbolic capital, the study explores how meaning in luxury campaigns is constructed through visual cues that assume cultural knowledge. The analysis examines three images from selected Gucci campaigns through a qualitative semiotic approach, focusing on how the images position the viewer and suggest exclusivity. This is combined with a practice-based design experiment, in which a luxury-inspired visual style is applied to the mass-market brand Cubus. The results support previous research on luxury advertisement and indicate that such communication can function selectively, relying on recognition and interpretation. The design experiment further suggests that, without an established brand context, these strategies may appear unfamiliar and unclear. The project contributes to an understanding of how visual communication can be used for cultural differentiation, and thereby participate in maintaining existing social hierarchies. These findings can also be situated within a broader design perspective, highlighting how visual language operates beyond functional communication.