Semiofest

Semiofest is the main worldwide conference series and event on commercial semiotics.[1] Its focus is on the methods of semiotic analysis which are helpful in solving interpretational conflicts and providing tools for better design of social meaning-making spaces.

The topics covered include the applications of semiotics in marketing, brand development, design, advertising, applied aspects of social semiotics, ecosemiotics etc.[2] The conference subtitle is "A Celebration of Semiotic Thinking".

Commercial semiotics applies results from semiotic anthropology, cultural semiotics, ecosemiotics and biosemiotics for multi-sided analysis of meaning-making.

History

The initiators and first organisers of Semiofest were several British companies and agencies that provide semiotic consultancy.[3] An aim of Semiofest is to bring together the specialists practicing semiotics in marketing and social consultancy, and academics researching and teaching semiotics in universities.[4]

The conference have been organised in the following centres (and themes):

• 2012 – London
• 2013 – Barcelona
• 2014 – Shanghai ("Global Meets Local: A Cross-cultural Celebration of Semiotic Thinking")
• 2015 – Paris ("Fall in Love with Applied Semiotics")
• 2016 – Tallinn ("Semiotics and Culture of Innovation")
• 2017 – Toronto ("Media, Messages, and Meanings: Semiotics, Form and Content")
• 2018 – Mumbai ("Time of the Signs")
• 2020 – Mexico ("Resemiotization")
• 2022 – Mexico ("Resemiotization and Metaphors")
• 2024 – Porto

See also

• Ecosemiotics
• Semiotics of dress
• Semiotics of fashion
• Semiotics of music videos
• Semiotics of photography
• Semiotics of social networking

References

1. Oswald, Laura R. 2015. Creating Value: The Theory and Practice of Marketing Semiotics Research. Oxford University Press, p. 2.
2. Denny, Rita M.; Sunderland, Patricia L. (eds.) 2014). Handbook of Anthropology in Business. Routledge, p. 455, 462.
3. On the methods they use, see an article by a founder of Semiofest, Demystifying semiotics.
4. Gabriela Pedranti 2016. Report on Tallinn Semiofest. Semiotix.

External links

Semiofest homepage