SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS OF THE NAME, LOGO AND POSTER FROM THE

FOREEVERFASTER CAMPAIGN OF THE BRAND PUMA

Submitted By
Manoranjan K
20140121118

Puma is a German-based sportswear and apparel company. The Puma football shoes are
known for their durability and stylish designs. Puma is also the kit sponsor for many national
soccer teams including the 2010 world champions Italy. They also have sponsored and have
enjoyed partnerships with some famous football celebrities like Pel, Diego Maradona, Johan
Cruyff etc.
The company incorporated in 1940s required a logo design that projected an image of
aggressiveness. The First logo was created in 1948(see the picture below).

Design Elements of Puma Logo

History - Puma's first logo given below is that of a beast jumping through the Dassler D. The
name of Rudolf Dassler the founder of the firm can also be seen in the logo. It Also clearly
mentions PUMA as a Shoe manufacturer through the writing Schufabrik.

The new Puma logo on the right side, which has changed from a jumping down to a leaping
high PUMA depicts the companys dashing corporate image and the durability of its
products. The use of a bold font with the leaping cat beside imparts athleticism into the
products. The logo exemplifies agility and adventure because of the design elements.

Shape of the Puma Logo: The Puma logo depicts athleticism and challenge. The leaping
Puma which is depicted in the Puma logo is an example for it.
Colour of the Puma Logo: The black hue-based Puma logo of today is a depiction of the
companys immense supremacy and belief.
Font of the Puma Logo: The Font of the Puma logo is bold and wide and it invokes
authority and confidence. The Puma logo typeface has remained the same since 1948.

We will try to analyse the verbal and visual signs of the PUMA logo using the
SAUSSURES Model of the Sign. A sign is a representation of an object with a particular
meaning. In the model defined by Saussure, a sign is dyadic in nature i.e. it is made of up two
components the signifier and the signified (Sign (semiotics), 2014). The two cannot be
considered as separate entities, the two make the meaning together. The meaning which is
generated by the relationship between the signifier and signified is not permanent. It is an
ever evolving process and this perpetuates to an evolving meaning.
The signified is the concept that it represents, that is the mental concept or idea of the sign
and signifier is the form which the sign takes, the actual physical element or the actual
spoken or written word. Here we will try to analyse the signifier and the signified here.
SIGNIFIER

SIGNIFIED

PUMA LOGO

FAST ,ATHLETIC ANIMAL

PUMA WORD

LANGUAGE IN NEPAL

POSTER -BALOTELLI

REBEL , AUDACIOUS

POSTER - USAIN BOLT

SYMBOL PUMA

SPEED , FASTEST
DARING /RISK TAKING

Here we can interpret the word puma in different ways. For example Puma is a language in
Nepal. So for the people in Nepal if they see the word puma they start immediately
connecting it with the language, because of their native cultural influences. For someone
from Jamaica, the place from where the Olympic 100m champion Usain Bolt hails from the
Puma word will signify Usain bolt himself as the Speed King is being sponsored by PUMA.
For others the word may mean nothing and for the fans of PUMA it will mean to be forever
fatser , daring, challenging ,athletic etc.

Now we will try to analyse the same from SANDERS PIERCE model

Representamen The form which the sign takes , the sign itself or the word .Here the
PUMA logo and writing in itself is the representamen.
Object to which sign refers to is the Animal Puma.
Interpretant Idea/Interpretation in mind .The idea we get by looking at the logo is the
athleticism and dare to leap beyond your fears and achieve your dreams.
Semiosis is defined as the interaction of these three components.
The signs can be interpreted at three levels:Symbolic- no intrinsic relationship btw signifier and signified, Indexical genuine
relationship between signifier and signified, or Iconic connection through resemblance
symbol. Here we can see that PUMA is an iconic relation as the Animal that is shown in the
symbol directly resembles the Animal Puma. The iconicity of the brand ambassador in Usain
Bolt also gets transferred to PUMA in the foreverfaster campaigns. Although the word
PUMA can be a symbolic sign since the interpreter can interpret it in any way they want. For
many the word will have different interpretations- people can think of the animal puma, or
the brand in itself or any other thing which can be culturally resonant among them. But from
the logo in itself it is pretty clear that the object here is the PUMA animal. You interpret it
more clearly now as the visual aids you to understand it at least as a fast four legged animal
like a tiger or cheetah.

`
The interpretation that you derive from the above two pictures are also different. Even though
the same animal is shown in both the pictures, as you move from left to right you feel a
transfer of characteristics from calm and stern to athletic and daring. This interpretation by
the viewer is what we need to understand to design our logos / campaigns to convey the exact
meaning what we want our consumers to understand. We need the consumers to understand
our brand in a glance. PUMA by portraying a leaping cat has certainly created the right
design elements for positioning themselves as forever faster.

FOREVERFASTER MARIO BALOTELLI

Let us now analyse this poster image used in forever faster campaigns through denotation and
connotation of the same

Denotation is the actual meaning you associate with the symbol

Denotation Mario Balotellia crazy hairstyle in the black and white picture and Mario
Balotelli playing football in the blue Italian Puma Jersey. The words Villain has been striked
off in red color and the Word Saviour has been written in White in the colored part. The
viewing ends at the bottom right corner with the foreverfaster and puma logo.
Connotation Connotation involves emotional overtones, interpretation and cultural
significance that the consumers attach with the brand. It is the implied or implicit meaning
that you derive because of your past experience.
Mario Balotelli turns from a villain (black and white) image to a saviour-bright coloured,
where he strikes the puma ball, with a puma boot, puma stockings, with the crowd backing
him from behind. All the positive characters associated with the footballer Balotelli His
aggression, dont give a damn, can do it by himself characteristics gets transferred to PUMA.
From this we can derive that PUMA always roots for the rebels in the game who always
wants to change the status quo and challenge it and thereby bring forever faster change in the
society.
The grass uprooting and the angle of the body suggests that he already has hit the ball and set
it in motion for a change, there is an immediate transition in the photograph as we see it from
left top corner to the right bottom corner ultimately reinforcing the fact that puma has made
this forever faster change and the logo of puma can be seen to support this leap of change.

References
Slideshare PPTs
Class Materials
http://www.famouslogos.us/puma-logo/
Google Images