When it comes to visual communication there are two major things which you can look at to try and break down the image you see. The image can denote a certain number of things, and these are the very basics e.g the types of objects used within the image - denotation: 'literal', 'obvious', 'commonsense'. What the image conotes requires an understanding of the actual image in context.
Take political buildings for example, they include a lot of Greek architecture - Classicism, an expression of power. The Greeks were one of the first to bring in democracy so their style of buildings have been used throughout history within politics. Barrack Obama had a picture with a US government building in the background. To some people this could just be used to emphasise that he is the President of the United States - that is denotation, yet the connotation is to show politics, power, government and democracy.
The same symbols can be used multiple times over many different images, however their meaning can change through the use of culture, place or time. Cultural differences can change the meaning of the image,so if you know about that certain culture you will be able to work out the connotations of that image. The way in which we break down an image is to first denote and then if you know then connote. Symbols are constantly used which makes it easier to relate things to one another and find connections between them.
This is almost an extension of Communication Theory as a lot of it talks about semiotics and how we break down an image by using symbols to denote and connote. Using symbols within film, game and animation can be another way to convey ideas it can also be used within puzzle games as certain objects can lead to different things. It can be quite logical and if you know what the deeper meaning is you will be able to know the meaning of the whole image.
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