Brand Image and Self Image: A study on the semiotics behind Victoria’s Secret’s visual communication and its impact on its target audience

Abstract: This essay explores how a brand’s image affects consumers’ self-image through acase study of the lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret in order to reflect over the role ofgraphic designers as visual communicators in society. The study conducts a semioticanalysis of the brand and a qualitative research consisting of interviews and a focusgroup of a selection of women within the brand’s target audience. The conclusion isthat Victoria’s Secret, through its models, contributes to an unrealistic feminineideal that the study participants’ self-image was perceptibly affected by. Whileperception is personal and signs are context reliant, semiotics is not only useful foranalyzing visual communication but also as a tool that graphic designers can use forcreating ads with the consumer’s needs in mind.