Thursday, September 20, 2012

Meaning 2 - Interactions between the three levels of meaning


 Representational

The actual image of a bicycle provides a great representation of what the bike is in a physical sense, especially since it is very common. There aren’t many parts of the bike that are covered, aside from the welds and some bearings. You can get an idea of how the bike works just by looking at a picture of one. The rider sits on the seat, holds on to the handlebars, and puts their feet on the pedals. The pedals are connected to the cranks that move the chain and wheels, providing forward motion. The frame creates the outline for certain abstract shapes. The frame also contains decals. Those decals are symbols for the manufacturer, as well as the model of bike. Also, the quality of the frame itself, give those symbols meaning and importance.




Abstract

We get an abstract view of the bike by reducing it to geometric shapes. Focus on the frame, wheels, and gears. The blue outline shows the shape of the frame, while the green circles show the shape of the wheels. The frame consists of a two triangles made from aluminum tubing. When these triangles are combined, they create a parallelogram. The sharp corners create a rough shape that does not have fluid lines, or smooth corners. This part of the frame does not imply circular movement. Instead, this is the solid part of the frame that holds and connects everything else together. Parts like the wheels and gears create softer, more fluid lines. These circular shapes imply movement, which is true since the gears and wheels spin in a circular motion, and are almost always moving when the bike is in motion. Although the shapes are abstract, when they are put together, they represent the bike as a whole. They also might depict what type of bike this is, a road bike.





Symbol

A closer look at the frame reveals a couple logos that are very important to the model of bike. CAAD9 is a name for the series of aluminum bikes made by the company. CAAD stands for Cannondale Advanced Aluminum Tubing, the 9 means ninth edition. The name CAAD has been used by the company for years now, and is known among cycling enthusiasts. Cannondale is known for producing very stiff, strong, and light aluminum frames. These qualities are sought after in road bikes. This name conveys those qualities Cannondale offers in this line. The other symbol seen on the bike is the C logo on the front. This is an abbreviation for the companies name Cannondale.

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