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.

“ANTIHERO” NORM: Are you a hero or a villain? Only history can answer that question.

“ANTIHERO” FORMS: Themes :You’re stealth but also not shy about showing off. You’re out to make your mark, and you want everyone who is in your same elite league (but not anyone else) to know it. Tough, somewhat menacing — but not totally brutal or evil — figures. Outfits and accessories that leave an indelible impression. Bold — but not garish — colors. Swaggering, somewhat confrontational body language.

From a 2022 study of the US Luxury space — across categories.