Signosignifico

Signosignifico is a coinage used within semiotics to describe a unit of meaning in which the signifier and the signified are inseparably fused into a single phenomenon. Proponents argue that certain signs—particularly highly iconic branding, emojis, or design objects—exhibit a unity of form and meaning that cannot be meaningfully separated into a distinct 'sound image' and 'concept.' The term is often written as signo-significado or signo-significado to reflect its hybrid etymology from signo (sign) and significado (meaning) in Spanish, though usage varies by author.

Origin and usage: The term emerged in late 20th century debates on the boundaries of structuralism and post-structuralism, especially in analyses of media objects where the aesthetic appearance carries culturally loaded meanings. It is invoked to describe how some signs operate as a whole: form and function are co-constitutive rather than independent components.

Relation to Saussure and Peirce: In Saussurean semiotics, the sign consists of signifier and signified as a dyad, whose link is arbitrary. Signosignifico challenges or extends this by proposing that in some cases the two elements cannot be disentangled, yielding a holistic sign. In Peirce's framework, the sign's interpretant may view the unity as a single representamen rather than a bipartite relation.

Criticism: Critics argue that the notion risks overgeneralization and erases the analytical value of distinguishing form and meaning. It remains contested and is used selectively within specific fields such as branding, digital media, and design theory.

Examples: corporate logos that are designed to convey meaning through shape, color, and typography; emojis whose glyph shape is integral to their semantic content.