Semiotics in Marketing
How to Decode Signs, Symbols and Market Codes
The English edition of a practical guide to decoding signs, symbols, meanings, and market codes in branding, communication, design, and cultural strategy.
Semiotics in Marketing is a book for researchers, strategists, marketers, designers, creative teams, and students who want to understand how culture shapes brands—and how brands communicate through signs.
Originally published in Polish in 2024 the book is now available in English in an edition prepared for international readers.
Why This Book?
A Practical Guide to Marketing Semiotics
This is not only a theoretical introduction to semiotics. It is a practical guide based on nearly twenty years of commercial semiotic projects conducted for brands, corporations, institutions, and organisations in Poland and internationally.
The book connects classic semiotic concepts with their application in marketing practice. It shows how to move from cultural observation to strategic recommendation: from collecting cultural texts, signs, images, messages, and narratives to mapping codes, identifying tensions, interpreting meanings, and translating insights into brand strategy, communication, and design decisions.
Look Inside the Book
Browse selected pages from the English edition of Semiotics in Marketing.
The preview includes sample spreads from different parts of the book, showing its structure, visual style, practical examples, analytical diagrams, and selected methodological explanations.
From the publisher’s review of the Polish edition:
“A book written by practitioners for practitioners. A pair of experienced researchers invites us to look inside their toolbox for the analysis of signs, codes, and stories. An invaluable resource for people working in the creative industry, for market and opinion researchers, but also for anyone who simply wants to better understand the world of culture that surrounds us.”
Marcin Napiórkowski, Associate Professor
Institute of Polish Culture, University of Warsaw
Praise for the Book
“This book is designed to empower a new generation of semioticians by summarizing the most commonly used concepts and techniques in a clear and approachable manner. What sets it apart and makes it truly exceptional is its epistemological perspective on the toolbox itself!”
Vladimid Djurovic, Founder and CEO of LABBRAND
“An insightful book that makes semiotics accessible, concrete and highly relevant for contemporary marketing.”
Stefania Gogna, Italian Semiotician and Cultural Analyst
“A practical and persuasive how-to-guide for using semiotics in marketing. I have worked with Krzysztof many times. And this excellent book mirrors his dedication, talents and collaborative nature.”
Marion Polauck, Polauck Semiotics, Germany
“Semiotics in Marketing is a rare book: theoretically grounded, practically useful, and genuinely engaging to read. I was especially impressed by the clarity with which the authors guide readers through semiotic tools, supported by rich case studies and exercises that make the material vivid and applicable. I would warmly recommend it as an excellent textbook for university courses and as a valuable resource for anyone interested in semiotics—from beginners to experienced practitioners.”
Maria Papanthymou, PhD, Applied semiotician; founder of LocalTalk Semiotic Research; co-founder of Semiopirates
About the English Edition
The English edition has been prepared for an international audience. Some references, examples, and footnotes closely tied to Polish linguistic or cultural contexts have been adapted or omitted where they would have required lengthy explanation. At the same time, locally rooted observations and case studies have been retained where they illustrate universal analytical points or offer useful insight into how meanings take shape in a specific market.
Most illustrations have been recreated in English, while original packaging, advertisements, and cultural texts have been preserved where their original form is part of the analysis.
About the Authors
Krzysztof Polak and Marzena Żurawicka are practitioners of marketing semiotics and founders of Semiotic Solutions in Poland.
Since 2005, they have conducted close to three hundred semiotic projects for companies, brands, social organisations, and institutions in Poland and around the world.
Their work combines semiotic theory, cultural analysis, marketing research, and strategic consulting.
Semiotics in Marketing: How to Decode Signs, Symbols and Market Codes
Semiotics in Marketing: How to Decode Signs, Symbols and Market Codes
Semiotics in Marketing is a practical guide for researchers, strategists, marketers, designers, creative teams, and students who want to understand how culture shapes brands—and how brands communicate through signs, symbols, narratives, and market codes.
The Polish edition
was published by the renowned Polish Scientific Publishers PWN. It can be purchased directly from the publisher or from many Polish online bookstores.
