Semiofest 2014

Semiofest has attracted a variety of excellent speakers this year. Check out who they are! View program and presentations at Semiofest 2014

Speakers

Dr.art. Andris Teikmanis  

Dr. Andris Teikmanis is Vice Rector of the Art Academy of Latvia (since 2007). He is a professor in the fields of Visual Semiotics, Soviet Art History and Art and Design Research . Andris is Latvian Member of Horizon 2020 Program Committee for SC6: Europe in a changing world – Inclusive, Innovative and Reflective Societies (since 2014), and Member of Latvian Council of Design (since 2014) and Council of Higher Education of Latvia (since 2013). Recent publications: • 2013 – Toward Models of Socialist Realism. in BAHJ  • 2013 – Typologies of Research. in SHARE Handbook for Artistic Research Education. (p. 162-168.)

Dr. Anne-Flore Maman Larraufie, Ph.D.

Dr. Anne-Flore Maman Larraufie, Ph.D. is a leading practitioner and academic expert in the field of applied semiotics. Anne-Flore is a visiting faculty at ESSEC Business School (France) and at Ca’Foscari University (Italy). She also runs her own brand and semiotics consultancy — Semioconsult. Anne-Flore is also the trainer of Understanding and Applying Semiotics on Day 3 of Semiofest 2014.

Ashley Mauritzen

Ashley Mauritzen is a freelance commercial semiotician, passionate about digital culture, luxury and living in London’s East End. She has worked with agencies that include Space Doctors, Practical Semiotics, Commercial Semiotics, Sign Salad and Added Value – analysing everything from logos to the language of light. Ashley is also the editor of leading-edge fashion magazine Let Them Eat Cake.

Jo Yi

Jo is a Cultural Insight Project Manager for Added Value Shanghai. She studied advertising and marketing in Fudan University and The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Before starting working on Cultural Insight, she had work experiences in advertising, marketing and media which created her diverse perspective of observing brands. In the last two years, she has been conducting cultural and semiotics analysis for local and international clients across categories like automotive, wine, home appliances, skin care.

Dr. Kishore Budha

Dr. Budha is a Research Fellow, Meaning-Centred Design in the School of Design, University of Leeds. He is currently working on research projects in the two areas of future cities and successful ageing funded by the British Academy and NHS respectively. Kishore has over 15 years experience in design research, NPD and brand strategy. His research, analysis and strategy has been instrumental in a range of industry categories ranging from medical devices and futures, home appliances, service, retail spaces, FMCG packaging design, communication design. At the University of Leeds he has recently concluded a project on the future of food retailing for Marks and Spencer. Previously, he has provided semiotics and design consultancy to leading global brands including Mundipharma, DSGI, Honeywell, Unilever, Nestle, Buffalo Wild Wings, Nokia, Kohler-Mira, Burton Foods, Plum Baby.

Martina Olbertova

Martina is a Founder & Chief Meaning Officer at Brand Curator, a strategic insight consultancy specialized in resuscitating meaning of brands. Martina is a member of ESOMAR, visiting lecturer, guest speaker and writer on topics of future of marketing research and use of semiotics in marketing. She is also the Creator & Co-editor of Semiotic Series, a new evangelization project published in cooperation with Research World and 30 semioticians worldwide introducing benefits of applied semiotics to a global research audience.

Magali Menant

Magali is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner Constellations. Prior to this, from 2002 to 2011, Magali worked at the Delegation of German Commerce and Industry in Shanghai, where she was in charge of promoting Sino-German cooperation in the field of environment and sustainability issues. Magali has a solid understanding of the current sustainability issues linked to rapid urbanization in China and has extensive experience in marketing, public-private partnership building, strategic network development management, lobbying as well as management. She recently completed a Master in International Relations at the Center for Global Politics at the Free University in Berlin. She is involved in the Center for Global Politics Alumni work as coordination and communication officer. Magali is fluent in English, German, Chinese, Polish & French.

Panos Dimitropoulos

Panos is the Cultural Insight Asia Lead for Added Value. He studied semiotics, cultural studies and advertising at Goldsmiths College, University of Kent and West Herts College. He started work as a copywriter acquiring an early understanding of how to use semiotics to bridge strategy with execution. In the last decade, he has been conducting Cultural Insight analyses and offering strategic, branding and creative recommendations across categories for branding, marketing and semiotic agencies in London and Shanghai. At his spare time Panos creates conceptual art inspired by semiotics; his work has been exhibited in major galleries across Europe (concepd.co.uk).

Samuel Grange

As a pragmatic semiotician, Samuel works on innovation and positioning issues in every major field. He analyses, structures and explains brands, markets and cultural themes to help designers and marketers define their project. Independent since 2005 he collaborates with many key players of the field, including InProcess and other international agencies. He used to run the semiotics activity at Added Value France (2000-2004). Previously, he was in charge of the same function for Plan Créatif Group in Paris (1996-2000) and Desgrippes Associates in NY (1994-1995). He also teaches semiotics and marketing in the Sorbonne and the University of Limoges.

Xiaojing Huang

Xiaojing is Strategy Director of YANG DESIGN and director of Design Strategy Institution. Xiaojing studied design in Guangzhou and Berlin. She leads the strategic team in projects of product design strategy, user study, service design, brand identity and trend study at YANG DESIGN. She is also the founder of YANG DESIGN’s UX Lab and CMF Lab. Her clients include leading brands such as Boeing, KIA, Hitachi, Schneider Electric, BOSE, Haier and Joyoung. She is the winner of Red Dot Design Award, IDEA and Design For Asia Silver Award.

Semiofest is proud to announce a semiotics training program (May 25th, 2014), which will introduce participants to semiotics research and interpretive methods from the four perspectives of consumer research, brand strategy, brand communication, and branded design. The trainer for the program is Dr. Anne-Flore Maman Larraufie, Ph.D. a leading practitioner and academic expert in the field of applied semiotics.

Who would benefit from the program?

The program is aimed at current brand and marketing managers, market researchers, designers, advertisers and planners who would like to gain an understanding of practical application of semiotics in the various applied contexts. The participants will also be provided with a reading list.

What will the program cover?

The program will introduce participants to the range of approaches and methods in the contexts of consumer research, brand strategy, brand communication, and branded design Each session will provide participants clear and tangible tools as well giving them a hands on opportunity to try the methods.

Learning outcomes

At the end of the program, participants will have a good grasp of the various semiotic approaches and methods in each of the contexts with a deeper understanding of one method. This will allow participants to gain a better understanding of when semiotics can be applied to solve business problems. It is expected that the program will enable participants to continue their engagement with semiotics through independent learning.

About the trainer

Dr. Anne-Flore Maman Larraufie, Ph.D. a leading practitioner and academic expert in the field of applied semiotics. Anne-Flore is a visiting faculty at ESSEC Business School (France) and at Ca’Foscari University (Italy). She also runs her own brand and semiotics consultancy — Semioconsult.

Details

Date: May 25th, 2014
Venue: V Art Center, M50 Creative Industries Park, Shanghai, China
Fee: 1,600 RMB per person

Please contact 2014@semiofest.com for more details.

This year at Semiofest, besides the main program, we are bringing you fun extra activities on the 3rd day! With Shanghai Flaneur Walks, we are taking the semiotics discussion into the urban realm and use flânerie as a methodology to decode the city’s signs and symbols.

PARAMETERS:

Theme: Urban Semiotics

Date: May 25, 2014 from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm

Number of People: 16 people /walk

Cost: 300 RMB/ 36 EURO per person

Walks

We propose 3 options for the walks.

Walk 1: READING SHANGHAI CULTURALLY: A Walk with Philosopher Dr. Shen Qilan

How can you read Chinese culture – contemporary and tradition – when strolling around in Shanghai? Where are the signs, symbols and cultural manifestations that make up the distinctive atmosphere and character of the city? And do we make the same associations when we look at the same signs?

Walk 2: READING THE CITY SKYLINE: A walk with architect Fanny Hoffmann-Loss

When looking at the top of Shanghai’s historic and new buildings, have you ever wondered what architects had in mind when designing the finishing touches of these structures? Are the top random products of their imaginations or do they actually have a significance?

Walk 3: READING SHANGHAI VISUALLY: A Walk with Photographer Jan Siefke

In only 150 years, Shanghai developed from a harbour city of half a million people to one of the world’s largest urban agglomerations of 23 million inhabitants today. Several waves of population influxes transformed the city, with the political and economic impetus of both local and international interests, starting with the rise of Shanghai as the “Paris of the East” in the 1920s.

For more details, please download the pdf below.

SHANGHAI FLANEUR Walks_Semiofest 2014

Two or three walks will happen in parallel depending on the number of people signing up. Sounds fun? Don’t hesitate to email us at 2014@semiofest.com to sign up for a walk!