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.

Jakarta…

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?

CARANISSA DJATMIKO

I was drawn to Disney princesses and fairytales, played with Barbie dolls, and was always lost in a world of imagination. But beyond that, I’ve always had vivid dreams, a relentless inner monologue, and an innate tendency to question everything. I often felt like I was straddling two worlds — reality and fantasy — with reality sometimes feeling too confined. 

Growing up, pop culture became my guru, fashion became a means of self-expression, and cinema became a mirror to help me make sense of both myself and the world. I remember being 10 years old, convinced I would become a fashion designer after seeing Gwen Stefani’s iconic looks at the VMAs. Taylor Swift’s Speak Now awakened me to the power of storytelling. My obsession with Golden Age films like Rear Window, Gilda, and Indiscreet has led me to watch over a hundred by now. And picking up the children’s book version of Little Women introduced me to the complexities of femininity. These cultural mediums sharpened my critical thinking and wired my brain to interpret texts.

SEMIOVOX

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

CARANISSA DJATMIKO

The more I learn about semiotics, the more I realise we’re all semioticians in some form — constantly interpreting signs without realizing it.

I found Saussure and his theory of structuralism so compelling because I didn’t understand it at first… which made me keep revisiting his work, trying to wrap my head around how language is constructed. I still don’t fully grasp it to this day, but learning about his work eventually exposed me to how others view and apply semiotics. Over time, semiotics has become a way for me to channel my introspective nature into something insightful, making it both a personally and professionally fulfilling practice. 

SEMIOVOX

How did you find your own way to doing semiotics?

CARANISSA DJATMIKO

While pursuing my MA in Cultural & Creative Industries in King’s College London, I randomly attended the Cultural Insights Forum on campus, not knowing what to expect. There, I met Dr. Bridget Dalton, now the Head of Futures at Truth Consulting, who was presenting a semiotic analysis of contemporary representations of motherhood in ads. At the time I was writing my dissertation on something similar — contemporary representations of motherhood in the HBO series Big Little Lies — and wondered to myself if I could actually turn my love for dissecting media and cultural representation into a job. That forum led me to discover cultural strategy, and years later — having worked at Crowd DNA, Space Doctors, and WGSN — I’m grateful I followed that instinct. 

SEMIOVOX

What are the most important attributes of a good semiotician?

CARANISSA DJATMIKO

Semiotics is a craft that requires both analytical rigor and creative intuition. We help brands recognize their dual roles as architects and products of culture. This means a good semiotician must be both a storyteller able to distill complex cultural patterns into simple narratives, and a strategic thinker who can translate those insights into actionable recommendations. 

I’ve also learned that being a semiotician can be somewhat an artistic, therapeutic, and even semi-autobiographical expression, as we’re constantly reflecting on our own relationship with ourselves and the world through our work. We’re wired for self-examination as semioticians — so it’s important to stay conscious of our biases and ‘confessional’ tendencies. While we have the professional licence to embrace our unique perspectives, our role is to address business goals. It’s neither about complete self-censorship nor turning our work into a diary, but about channeling our perspective with discernment to shape business strategy and affect wider cultural conversations.

SEMIOVOX

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

CARANISSA DJATMIKO

Roland Barthes, Raymond Williams, and Stuart Hall are all foundational when it comes to my work. Apart from these, I’ve found the joy of analysing and interpreting texts because of books and essays that illustrate the power dynamics and identity politics embedded in cultural representations, and how much they affect our sense of belonging within ourselves, our community and the world. I’ve selected the three following readings as they show specific case studies from culture: 

• [Communications scholar] Sarah Banet-Weiser’s Empowered: Popular Feminism and Popular Misogyny. A fascinating take on the inevitable interplay between popular feminism and popular misogyny, proving that more visibility in feminism doesn’t necessarily result in more equality; if anything, it often reinforces more patriarchal structures.
• [British philosophy popularizer] Alain de Botton’s The Architecture of Happiness. Explores the evolution of home ideals over time and how much the way we build — the architectural and aesthetic choices we make — creates an emotional impact. 
• [British actor and rapper] Riz Ahmed’s essay Typecast As A Terrorist (published in The Guardian). Discusses the three stages of representation for ethnic minorities in media and the long journey toward truly non-stereotypical portrayals.

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?

CARANISSA DJATMIKO

Because cultural shifts fundamentally shape human behavior, and in turn, business trajectories, semiotics is a powerful tool in helping brands drive cultural relevance and sensitivity, uncovering dominant and emergent narratives that are shaping culture, and identifying white spaces for innovation. It’s important to translate our knowledge and understanding of semiotics using specific case studies that clients can relate to.

In today’s era of polycrisis, semiotics is also more important than ever. Understanding your audience and their evolving relationship with the world is crucial. I like to think of semiotics as a glimmer of hope — helping clients anticipate cultural shifts and uncover new opportunities, even in unpredictable times.

SEMIOVOX

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

CARANISSA DJATMIKO

I’ve developed a specialisation for using semiotics to understand narratives of modern womanhood — exploring narratives around menstruation, menopause, pregnancy, and evolving meanings of femininity. These themes often hold rich tensions, reflecting the complexities of identity formation in transitional life stages. The insights usually lie in the hidden meanings — how we secretly wish to be seen or understood even when our actions show the opposite. Or in those moments of liminality — those in-between spaces where you’re reconfiguring the old and the new you simultaneously.

SEMIOVOX

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

CARANISSA DJATMIKO

Semiotics is a powerful tool for uncovering hidden meanings and moments of liminality, but presenting them as actionable insights to clients is the challenge. Some clients see semiotics as ‘complicated’, abstract or not actionable enough. And sometimes, we don’t help ourselves by getting too caught up in the richness of our data that we forget to translate it into strategic insights. But when we bridge that gap through the power of storytelling — when we turn clusters of patterns into lightbulb moments for clients, helping them align with cultural shifts in both authentic and transformative ways — that’s when you’ve really understood the rewarding task of a semiotician.

Semiotic works really well for brand positioning, product innovation, communication strategies and more because codes and cues can serve as executional guidelines for brands. It will become more valuable especially with the rise of immersive brand experiences. Sensory semiotics, for example, is gaining traction as brands seek to create highly memorable, multisensory touchpoints. Looking ahead, semioticians will need to adopt more than storytelling, but also worldbuilding skills. 

SEMIOVOX

Peirce or Saussure?

CARANISSA DJATMIKO

Could I pick Barthes instead? He builds on Saussure but applies semiotics more directly to mass culture. His analysis of fashion, food, and advertising makes semiotics feel tangible, proving that even the most mundane aspects of daily life are loaded with meaning.

SEMIOVOX

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

CARANISSA DJATMIKO

Being a semiotician is an invitation to dive into the depths of your own inner world, so invest in your own personal growth and stay curious about who you are becoming. Immerse yourself in culture and your dream world — pay attention to what resonates (or doesn’t), and what that reveals about your beliefs.

Be passionate about learning. Find a mentor or someone that inspires and challenges your way of thinking. I’ve been lucky to have been surrounded by a community of semioticians always up for a chat or brainstorm, whether during my full-time roles or now as a freelancer.

Finally, embrace your inner child. Express that part of yourself that sees the world with imagination, wonder and unfiltered sense of possibility. Some of the most profound cultural insights really do come from channeling our childlike instincts, curiosity and ongoing self-discovery — so never lose that sense of seeing the world as a playground.

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Also see these global semio series: MAKING SENSE (Q&As) | SEMIOFEST SESSIONS (monthly mini-conferences) | COVID CODES | SEMIO OBJECTS | COLOR CODEX | DECODER (fictional semioticians) | CASE FILE | PHOTO OP | MEDIA DIET.