Article:

Bilderrätsel in der Werbung

Both style and riddles share elements of surprise and deviation from expectancies. Pictorial riddles in advertising are especially suitable to show how pictures are processed and by which features they are interpreted. The analysis of five advertisements including opaque visual messages will differentiate stylistic devices relevant for the interpretation of the advertising message and the identification of the advertised product. Within the framework of Charles S. Peirce’s semiotics, this paper will argue that pictorial riddles in advertising are initially incomplete signs, as their object at first is not established and their interpretant remains open.