Barnes and Noble Semiotic Analysis by Fredo Gonzalez

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Chapter 2: Layout Exploration

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Some images and a video to aide in making my points.

Epilogue: Barnes and Noble and the Consumer

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In the company's storied history of operation, Barnes and Noble has had different ideas of its own identity; it has struggled to come to a conclusion on what the company should be, and who it should appeal to. In the modern era of the company, Barnes and Noble creates identity in many interesting ways. As I have discussed, there is the element of design and the emotions B&N invokes with the design, colors, and layout. But of course, the products also build a core part of the B&N consumer identity. Of course, there are the books. Each retailer hand-selects books to display, and puts front and center the books they think will appeal to their local audience. For example, locations with a primarily black customer base will advertise black literature, as well as offer more variety of black literature to choose from.

But books are somewhat secondary to the Barnes and Noble consumer identity as I see it. In addition to books, their stores offer fun merchandise like mugs, shirts, toys like LEGOs, and collectible figurines from pop culture. This establishes that the bookstore is not a snooty exclusionary place. Take for example my favorite piece of merchandise sold at Barnes and Noble, the Shakespearean Insult Mug. The mug features humorous insults like “canker-blossom” and “foot-licker.” I argue that this mug is emblematic of the larger identity Barnes and Noble aims to create- specifically in two aspects. The first notable aspect is Shakespeare. Broadly in our culture, Shakespeare is lauded as an intellectual with cunning wit and brilliant writing. Shakespeare also invokes an idea of high-class sophistication, someone with a refined taste for the fine arts. The other notable aspect, though, is Shakespeare’s quirky humor, as evidenced by the mug. Thus, this mug represents the identity of the Barnes and Noble consumer being an intellectual, but still one with a sense of humor and air of casualness.

The Bookstore

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It is difficult in our modern era to think back upon a time before online shopping- before the convenience of Amazon bringing packages to our doorstep. Before we spent all of our time scrolling through social media and streaming shows and movies at the press of a button. But there was a time before this, where reading was amongst the most popular pastimes. And before the internet was widely adopted, books were everybody's primary source of knowledge. For cooking, hobbies, education, general knowledge- there existed a book on the topic. And what store was as massive as Barnes and Noble? In its heyday, Barnes and Noble appealed to all sorts of demographics. However, as knowledge flows more freely through the internet and products are more frequently bought online, who will be left to shop at Barnes and Noble? What kind of identity have they constructed?

B&N as a Space

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The physical characteristics of Barnes and Noble create a calming environment to exist in. The mentality of Barnes and Noble seems to be that if the store is somewhere you want to spend time in, it will also be somewhere you will therefore spend money in. Upon entering Barnes and Noble, you will notice a large expanse flooded by warm lighting. The bookshelves are all a uniform dark brown wood, contrasting well with the mellow beige of the walls, all accented in a signature deep green. The color scheme is reminiscent of a serene nature scene. If you look above each bookshelf, lining the walls are the covers of classic literature: books like To Kill a Mockingbird and The Invisible Man, each with a simplified cover with light colors, as to not overwhelm the senses.

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