The CODE-X series catalogs a vast codex of source codes (aka “signs”) extracted from past audits.

The object of study in semiotics is not the signs but rather a general theory of signification; the goal of each “audit” is to build a model demonstrating how meaning is produced and received within a category or cultural territory. Signs on their own, therefore, only become truly revelatory and useful once we’ve sorted them into thematic complexes, and the complexes into codes, and the codes into a meaning map. We call this process “thick description”; the Code-X series is thin description.

“NEW MONEY” NORM: Celebrating your newfound social status and success — and learning how to pass for one of those who’ve already made it there.

“NEW MONEY” FORMS: Language urging you to educate yourself, and also encouraging you to celebrate your success. “Unlearn tasteless. Relearn taste.” “#KnowtheDifference” (Belvedere). “Give the gift that shows you know.” (Don Julio) “Handmade for the selfmade” (Herradura). “The arrival of A-list cocktails” (Crystal Head). “The sweet smell of success.” (Crown Royal).

(From a 2016 audit, commissioned by a global spirits company, of “Premium Spirits.”)