A signifier or sign is an image/sound/guesture that has meaning greater than itself. An important part of semiology, a signifier can change how the audience interprets the media, by connecting a meaning to the signifier.
There are many types of signifiers, for example, this STOP sign is in a red colour which signifies danger and warns you to stop. The shape is also a universal shape for STOP signs meaing that it will abe recognised by multiple cultures. 
This image of a Femme Fatal, a stereotypical character from film noir, has multiple signifiers. The first is the hat she is wearing. It called a fedora, and the fedora is often worn by a gangster/mobster. Showing her wearing a fedora signifies that she is either a mobster, or in league with the mafia. She is also shown as smoking a cigar. This is two signifiers. The cigar is also a sign of the mafia, often shown with a Don or Mob Boss, signifying she is a powerful person. The fact that she appears to be smoking makes her seem dangerous and rebellious as smoking would not have been a normal thing for a woman at this period in time, as it is seen as a bad thing.
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