Reading the Signs: Semiotics in Brand Refresh

When we work with a brand that already exists, we’re not starting with a blank page. We’re stepping into a world of signs — logos, colours, words, photography, interiors, even the way a drink is served or a doorman greets you. All of these are communicating something, whether the brand intended them to or not.

This is where semiotics comes in. It’s the study of signs and symbols, and how people interpret them. In branding, it’s not abstract theory — it’s a practical way of understanding the hidden messages a brand is sending, and how those messages land with audiences.

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What Semiotics Actually Means

Every sign has two sides:

• The signifier (the form — a colour, a word, a typeface, an image, a gesture).

• The signified (the meaning or association it triggers in people’s minds).

Take photography. A grainy, flash-lit shot in a club doesn’t just “show” nightlife — it carries connotations of rawness, rebellion, maybe even danger. Swap that for a glossy, high-contrast black-and-white portrait, and suddenly you’re in Helmut Newton territory: seductive, sophisticated, high-fashion.

Neither image is neutral. Both are signs that frame how the brand is perceived.

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Where Brands Communicate Through Semiotics

Semiotics is at work in every touchpoint of a brand:

• Logos & Visual Identity
  The typeface of a wordmark can place a brand in “heritage luxury” (serif, engraved) or “tech minimalism” (sans serif, geometric).

• Colour & Material
  A hotel using white marble vs. desert sandstone isn’t just making a design choice — it’s signalling where it sits in the spectrum of tradition, modernity, or regional authenticity.

• Photography & Imagery
  Social media posts filled with warm film tones suggest intimacy and nostalgia; crisp digital edits suggest precision and modernity.

• Tone of Voice
  A menu that reads like poetry signals refinement. One that shouts in all caps with playful slang signals accessibility and fun.

• Experience & Rituals
  The way staff present a dish, the music that plays in the lift, or whether a nightclub’s entrance is hidden behind a curtain or wide open on the street — all of these are signs, shaping expectation and memory.

In short, semiotics doesn’t stop at the logo. It runs through the entire brand experience.

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Why Semiotics Matters in a Refresh

For existing brands, semiotics is the difference between surface-level tweaks and meaningful change. It allows us to map:

• Category codes: the familiar signals of the sector (luxury hotels love marble; nightclubs love neon).

• Cultural codes: the wider references audiences bring (fashion, art, design, lifestyle).

• Brand codes: the distinctive elements that truly belong to this brand — the ones you’d notice if they disappeared.

From there, we can decide: what to keep, what to evolve, what to add.

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More Than Aesthetic

Semiotics goes beyond asking “does this look good?” It asks:

• What does this communicate?

• Does it align with what the brand stands for?

• And does it resonate with the culture around it?

At Brand Reveller, we use semiotics as a lens to sharpen existing brands. It’s how we uncover the signals that are holding a brand back, and the codes that can propel it forward.

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The Moment of Realisation

When we present the findings of our discovery phase, semiotics is often the part that surprises clients the most. Business owners suddenly see the hidden meanings embedded in their own brand — cues they’ve been communicating without ever saying a word.

It’s often the part clients love the most: the hidden layer they’d never considered, but instantly recognise once it’s revealed. Because once those signals are visible, they can’t be ignored. What felt like small details — a colour, a phrase, a style of image — become clear as part of a bigger system shaping how the brand is understood.

That’s the value of semiotics: making the unseen impossible to ignore.

Find out more: info@brandreveller.com