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.

London…

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?

ALEXANDRA NCUBE

I grew up in a multicultural home in Harare, Zimbabwe. My parents met in the former Soviet Union, and my Ukrainian mother and Zimbabwean father instilled in me an appreciation for different cultures from a young age.

My mother, a linguist and English Literature teacher, fostered a creative environment in our household. I was surrounded by “texts” of all kinds, including a deck of Tarot cards which I often found myself shuffling through during electricity power cuts. I would pore over the symbols, fascinated by their meanings and the stories each card would evoke in my mind. My mother once warned me not be become “obsessed” with the Tarot, which is funny given the career I’ve built obsessing over patterns in culture.                   

SEMIOVOX

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

ALEXANDRA NCUBE

My first encounter with semiotics was at university in London. It was part of a module in Film and Popular Culture, two of a plethora of subjects I took. The word ‘semiotics’ seemed to crop up a lot in my studies — first in undergrad at St Mary’s University, and then at the London School of Economics as part of my Masters in Anthropology. What attracted me most to it was the fluidity and abundant application of the practice across subjects. Semiotics also brought a kind of legitimacy to what is sometimes perceived as ‘low art’ (my favourite kind). I loved that because I could cheekily justify my consumption of The Real Housewives as a semiotic decode. I could enjoy aspects of art and culture that many would criticise as ‘lowbrow’, guilt-free.    

SEMIOVOX

How did you find your own way to doing semiotics?

ALEXANDRA NCUBE

As is often the case with indecisive polymaths who graduate with degrees in a ‘little bit of everything’, I wanted to be a writer. One novel and 50 publisher rejection emails later, a desperate Google search had me typing unconventional combinations of words such as “jobs in space for anthropologists”. By algorithmic destiny, I found Space Doctors. I met an amazing group of people who gave me an internship and then a job, which was followed by another role at Sign Salad. Working back-to-back at two prominent semiotics agencies in London was a privilege. I refined my ability to analyse all forms of marketing and culture using semiotics, which eventually led to me landing a role in the International Premium Product Strategy team at American Express. After a couple of years applying semiotics to all things strategy related, I co-founded Atom Futures in 2021.       

SEMIOVOX

What are the most important attributes of a good semiotician?

ALEXANDRA NCUBE

The answer to this will always be relative, and dependent on context. There are of course the ‘obvious’ ideals; curiosity, an open mind, a willingness to engage with cultural content that challenges our preconceived notions of the world. These are important attributes, and I believe good semioticians know this at a basic level. 

A great semiotician, I would say, knows not to practice the methodology in a silo. Semiotics alone may leave you redundant or replaceable, so go beyond the desire for mastery and couple the practice with other disciplines. In my case, fusing semiotics with strategy, foresight and activism has allowed for many innovative approaches to its application.

SEMIOVOX

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

ALEXANDRA NCUBE

I read haphazardly and across disciplines, often applying semiotic analysis to whatever is in front of me, while trying to spot the connections across time and cultures. I’m currently doing this with The Art of War, The Art of Happiness, and The Art of the Deal. It’s interesting how all three books provide insights into the minds of ideologues, in such different ways, while still being positioned as ‘art forms’ — all of which is very enlightening.   

When I look at my bookshelf right now, I’d say Dictionnaire Des Symboles (Chevalier and Gheerbrant) is, quite literally, the most useful.

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?

ALEXANDRA NCUBE

My first response is, ‘what don’t I do’? Semiotics is such a versatile tool. It has given me the opportunity to work across sectors and apply a semiotic gaze to virtually everything — from product innovation to web design, the metaverse and AI. 

In my experience, clients tend to be sceptical when they don’t understand something. From a commercial perspective, it’s often a matter of making semiotics accessible — simplifying the Roland Barthes of it all. It’s about demystifying and unlocking imaginations.

Also, the field has grown so much over the last decade. Semioticians are becoming plentiful, with some specialising in unique offerings or carving out all sorts of niche spaces beyond the more traditional ‘market expertise’ segmentations we tend to have. It’s awesome to be a part of this evolution. I find that the savviest of clients are often naturally excited to be a part of this.

SEMIOVOX

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

ALEXANDRA NCUBE

At Atom Futures, we keep an open mind to all kinds of projects, so long as they push the needle on issues such as equality. Almost everything I do has elements of semiotic curation involved. I most enjoy being part of activations involving the arts, combining philosophical thinking with foresight and innovation, and re-imagining age-old divinatory tools such as the Tarot. I get particularly excited about research on universal symbologies and languages, something Atom Futures recently did as part of an exploration of the “futures of craft”. For that project we spent a year reimagining the Tarot’s 22 Major Arcana cards, drawing on emerging archetypes and themes from different cultures, beliefs and nature. The result is the “Atom Tarot” deck, which is a tool we hope will help facilitate individual and collective imaginations to create more equitable and sustainable futures.

The most rewarding projects are those that make tangible, positive differences in people’s lives. My co-founder, Aura Freeman, is a human rights, animal welfare and environmental practitioner, so we have had the opportunity to work on campaigns and activations that have influenced policy changes at an international level, which feels particularly humbling. We’re big believers in brand activism, and semiotics is always part and parcel of any project deliverables we have in this area. 

SEMIOVOX

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

ALEXANDRA NCUBE

What frustrates me is that the discipline is often positioned (whether intentionally or unintentionally) at the ‘elite’ end of marketing offers. I’ve seen it perceived as a luxury, a ‘nice-to-have’ in an already crumbling marketing sector soon to be overhauled by AI. How limiting a perspective is that?

Semiotics is political. Its very nature is both problematised by and inherently entrenched in identities. It is intersectional. Now more than ever, brands, organisations and individuals across industries need semioticians. Not just one semiotician, but teams of them to help make sense of our world across culture and society. I don’t think it’s hyperbolic to say that semiotics will be the last saving grace of humanity. 

SEMIOVOX

Peirce or Saussure?

ALEXANDRA NCUBE

Both and/or neither. The semiotic forefathers’ teachings are useful echoes in my mind to be drawn upon only when necessary.

SEMIOVOX

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

ALEXANDRA NCUBE

Don’t be afraid to challenge your leadership, your mentors and your tutors in semiotics. We enrich the discourse when we provide different perspectives. There is a kind of tyranny that exists in being an expert in anything, so don’t limit yourself to a single school of semiotic theory.  

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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.