What makes a semiotician tick? SEMIOVOX’s Josh Glenn has invited his fellow practitioners in the field of commercial semiotics, from around the world, to answer a few revealing questions.

Milan…

SEMIOVOX

When you were a child/teen, how did your future fascination with symbols, cultural patterns, interpreting “texts,” and getting beneath the surface of daily life manifest itself?

STEFANIA GOGNA

I watched a lot of cartoons. Scooby-Doo was a favorite — inviting us to perceive and decipher signs and symbols in each new story. (Eventually, in many episodes I could perceive the monster’s true identity via subliminal cues.) I also loved sending mysterious coded messages to my friends, and decoding their messages. As I grew up, I learned that the world itself is full of signs and symbols to discover and decipher!

SEMIOVOX

Describe your first encounter(s) with the theory and practice of semiotics.

STEFANIA GOGNA

Wide-eyed and slightly bewildered, one fateful day I stumbled upon a bookshelf full of volumes that promised to unravel the secrets of signs, symbols, and meaning. The prroposition — that our world is a tapestry of signs, where everything from words to images to gestures can be deciphered as part of a vast system of communication; and that meaning can be found not only in explicit messages but in the hidden nooks and crannies of our daily lives — was mind-boggling. A traffic light isn’t merely a directive for drivers, I learned… but a vibrant signifier of order, control, and the social dynamics of urban life! True, from the outside the discipline seemed enigmatic, shrouded in a veil of complexity — but this only added to the allure. I dislike the dense jargon and the labyrinthine theories, and some semiotic interpretations seem a tad far-fetched. But as with any great love affair, these nuances only deepened my infatuation with semiotics.

SEMIOVOX

How did you find your own way to doing semiotics?

STEFANIA GOGNA

Like many lost souls before me, I dabbled in various disciplines — dancing with philosophy, flirting with linguistics, enjoying a brief fling with psychology — but my thirst for deciphering the hidden codes that shape our world couldn’t be slaked.

Stumbling upon Barthes’ Mythologies — I was initially attracted to the cover illustration — introduced me to a field that embraced the very essence of what fascinated me about the world: the intricate web of symbols, the hidden meanings lurking behind everyday objects, and the way in which culture shapes our perceptions. From there, I devoured Saussure, Peirce, Eco, and other theorists, and went on to earn a Master’s degree in Semiotics from the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore here in Milan.

Semiotics for me has never been merely a field of study. It’s a lens through which I view the world — a lens that adds depth, intrigue, and even magic to the everyday.

SEMIOVOX

What are the most important attributes of a good semiotician?

STEFANIA GOGNA

• Insatiable curiosity about what lies beneath the surface of things. The insidious charm of signs lies in their ability to hide in plain sight, like mischievous sprites playing hide-and-seek. We must be unafraid to question the unquestionable.
• An intellect sharp as a tiger’s tooth and a flexible open-mindedness. This marvelous amalgamation allows for the deciphering of complex signs, while embracing the ever-evolving nature of semiotics. (Adaptability is key.)
• Creativity and imagination. The ability to think outside the box, to connect seemingly unrelated concepts, is a precious gift all good semioticians nurture.
• Understanding the human experience and the cultural contexts within which signs manifest themselves requires empathy — it’s a delicate dance between observer and observed.
• The ability to convey complex ideas in a clear, engaging, and dare I say, delightful manner is a true superpower. We should enchant and captivate our audiences, leaving them hungry for more insights into the enigmatic realm of signs.

SEMIOVOX

What three books about semiotics have you found the most useful and enlightening in your own work?

STEFANIA GOGNA

• Roland Barthes’ Mythologies. Revealing the layers of meaning embedded within advertisements, wrestling matches, and even a plate of steak and chips, Barthes invites us to question the assumed naturalness of our social and cultural world.
• Daniel Chandler’s Semiotics: The Basics. An invaluable resource introducing the key concepts and thinkers of semiotics, without drowning us in a sea of jargon. A clear and concise guide through the intricacies of signs, codes, and signification.
• Barthes’ The Pleasure of the Text. Via poetic and provocative prose, Barthes challenges conventional notions of reading and interpretation, and invites us to revel in the sensual pleasure of the text — blurring the boundary between writer and reader.

It was difficult to select just three books, but these in particular have enriched my work and broadened my semiotic horizons.

SEMIOVOX

When someone asks you to describe what you do, what is your “elevator pitch”? How do you persuade a skeptical client to take a chance on using this tool?

STEFANIA GOGNA

Right now, you’re lost in a vast forest of communication, surrounded by a cacophony of signs and messages. Semiotics is a compass that will guide you safely through this wilderness of meaning! The semiotic methodology will unlock new perspectives, and act as a secret decoder ring for unravelling the mysteries of brand communication. You’ll gain the ability to craft messages that resonate, design logos that captivate, and create experiences that touch the hearts and minds of your target market.

SEMIOVOX

What specific sorts of semiotics-driven projects do you find to be the most enjoyable and rewarding?

STEFANIA GOGNA

I particularly love cultural studies: understanding cultures and their codes, consumer practices, people’s beliefs and rituals, and emerging trends. One of the projects I worked on most enthusiastically, recently, was a cultural analysis of Mexican-ness (as perceived in Italy) commissioned by Sarah Johnson of Athena Brand Wisdom. It was particularly fun to collaborate with semioticians from Mexico and the USA on this one.

SEMIOVOX

What frustrates you about how semiotics is practiced and/or perceived, right now?

STEFANIA GOGNA

Too often, semiotics is perceived as a mystical, esoteric discipline reserved for an elite few. Instead, it should be as inclusive and accessible as a delightful picture book

We should reject needless complexity. Elaborate frameworks, theory, and jargon cause us to lose sight of the joy and playfulness of semiotics. We’re not solving mathematical puzzles — it’s a dance of interpretations and possibilities.

Semiotics is about exploration, for me, so I yearn for more interdisciplinary adventures. It’s bizarre that we often get trapped within the boundaries of our own discipline, when semiotics by nature draws inspiration from linguistics, anthropology, psychology and more. Let’s collaborate to unlock fresh understandings of how signs shape our world.

SEMIOVOX

Peirce or Saussure?

STEFANIA GOGNA

We are indebted to Saussure for introducing us to the concept of the signifier and the signified, and emphasizing the arbitrary relationship between these — by depicting language as a vast system of signs governed by social conventions. The idea that meaning emerges from differences and oppositions within a system is critical.

That said, my heart leans slightly more towards Peirce. The richness of his semiotic vision — the triadic sign model with its elements of the sign, the object, and the interpretant; his emphasis on the dynamic nature of signs, their ability to generate meaning through a web of relations and infinite possibilities; the notion of semiosis, the process by which signs create meaning through a continuous cycle of interpretation — is captivating.

The richness of our field is its diversity, though. We don’t need to choose just one.

SEMIOVOX

What advice would you give to a young person interested in this sort of work?

STEFANIA GOGNA

• Read Saussure, Peirce, Barthes, Eco, Derrida, and other semioticians, as well as secondary sources that help make sense of their theories.
• Observe and analyze the words, images, gestures, objects, and symbols that surround you every day. Specifically do so in areas about which you care the most — literature, politics, fashion, film, etc.
• Take classes taught by applied semioticians who can provide hands-on training.
• Discuss your observations and analyses with others who share your passion.

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