In the opening lines of John’s Gospel, Jesus is described as the Logos, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). The Greek word Logos (λόγος) carries a richness that goes far beyond just “word”. It speaks of meaning, reason, pattern, communication, and the underlying logic of reality itself. It’s also where we get our modern word logo, a mark or symbol that communicates identity and meaning at a glance. In a sense, Christ is not just speaking truth, he is truth expressed. He is the message, the meaning, the signal made visible.
We are constantly reading signs. Everything around us is communicating, whether we realise it or not. This is where semiotics comes in, the study of how meaning is created and interpreted through signs and symbols. A sign might be a word, an image, a sound, a gesture, or even an object. Each one carries meaning because we have learned how to read it.
At its core, semiotics looks at three layers. First, how signs relate to what they represent, this is meaning. Second, how signs relate to each other within a system, this is structure. Third, how signs affect people, this is impact. In other words, what does it mean, how does it fit, and what does it do.
Every sign holds two parts, the form you see, and the idea it points to. A heart shape is not love itself, but we read it that way. A logo is not a company, yet it carries identity, trust, and reputation. Some signs resemble what they represent, some are directly connected, and others are purely symbolic, agreed upon over time.
Across cultures, certain symbols rise to the surface again and again. The sun, a sign of life and energy. The heart, a shorthand for love. Arrows, guiding direction. And in the modern world, brand marks that have become instantly recognisable, simple shapes that carry massive meaning.
But among all symbols, one stands apart.
The cross.
At first glance, it is just two intersecting lines, simple, almost primitive. Yet it holds a depth of meaning that has reshaped history. It represents suffering and sacrifice, but also redemption, hope, and new life. It is both a sign of death and a declaration of victory. That tension is what gives it power.
From a semiotic lens, the cross is extraordinary. It is a symbol that has moved far beyond its original context and continues to communicate across cultures, languages, and generations. People may interpret it differently, but they recognise it instantly. It carries weight, emotion, and story in a way few symbols ever have.
And this is where it all connects back.
If Jesus is the Logos, the ultimate expression of meaning, then the cross becomes the ultimate symbol of that meaning made visible. Not just an idea, not just a philosophy, but something embodied, lived, and revealed.
In a world overflowing with signals, noise, branding, and messaging, we are still searching for what is real, what carries true weight. Semiotics helps us understand how meaning is formed, but the cross confronts us with something deeper, meaning that is not constructed, but given.
And maybe that is why it still speaks.
At Vine Design, this is something we come back to. Jesus says in John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches.” This is what we are named after, a deliberate reminder that we can do nothing apart from him. Everything we have, our energy, our creativity, and our ideas all flow from the vine, from Jesus himself. He is the source of life, the place from which everything grows. And we, the branches, are called to remain in him and carry that life outward.
In the same way a vine produces fruit, something visible and tangible, something others can see and taste, our lives begin to express what we are connected to. We don’t just talk about meaning, we grow it. We carry it.
That’s why we love creativity, design, and visual expression. God has wired us to see, to shape, and to make. We’re drawn to things that communicate without words, things that hold depth, beauty, and truth all at once. In many ways, we are all image-makers, reflecting something of the one we are connected to.
So for us, the cross is not just a symbol to display. It’s something that flows through our lives, in the way we create, the way we lead, the way we love. Not forced, not manufactured, but growing naturally from being connected to the source.
Like branches on a vine.
Carrying something real.
Something alive.
Something that quietly and powerfully points back to him.
By:
Matt Watson
