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.

“ANTI-DIET” NORM: Brands moving away from from dieting, calorie counting, short termism, sacrifice… and towards “weight wellness,” i.e., positive eating, positive nutrition, a sustained approach.

“ANTI-DIET” FORMS: Rejection of dieting-speak, or the mindset of dieting. E.g., “[Sun Chips] have 100% whole grain and fit into my strict diet of only eating things that taste awesome.” “May increase appetite for life.”

From a 2014 audit of the emerging Weight Wellness space.