I analyze the visual and linguistic signs and symbols in everything (from packaging to pop culture) to unpack their deeper meaning, how that’s being communicated, and what it signifies in culture — that which consumers can’t tell us themselves.

In the movie The Founder Michael Keaton’s Ray Kroc decodes McDonald’s golden arches: “It doesn't just say, delicious hamburgers inside. They signify family. It signifies community. It's a place where Americans come together to break bread. I am telling you, McDonald's can be the new American church, feeding bodies and feeding souls. And it ain't just open on Sundays, boys. It's open seven days a week.”

Using semiotic analysis, that’s what I can tell you about your brand, your competitors, your category… what the logos, colors, fonts, imagery, taglines, copy, brand and product names, etc. all actually mean in culture 😊

“The Future Of…”

Spotting patterns and connecting dots in emerging behavior, needs, desires, culture, products, design, etc. to help my clients think about what’s important in what’s next.

I go out in the field (see “IRL Exploration <3”!), I go deep at the desk, I talk to experts and cutting edge early adopters… I’ll tell you about it long before mainstream culture picks it up.

I’m always getting out and about:

• retail safaris & expeditions

• visiting museums, exhibits, shows

• flipping through zines

• attending events & shows

• hanging out in third spaces

• lots & lots of walks (for spontaneous moments of discovery and interaction!)

interviews & groups

diary studies / digital ethno

observation

online discussion boards

projective techniques

"homework" & artifacts

end to end:

questionnaire design & writing

programming

field management

(advanced) analysis

story-driven reporting