012: Spotlight on my book and its collaborators…

Back in 2023 I was commissioned by Bloomsbury Publishing to write Semiotics for Designers and Illustrators for its Visual Arts imprint. Bloomsbury Visual Arts had previously published five editions of the late David Crow’s semiotics book Visible Signs. My semiotics book isn’t a general semiotic theory book. Instead, my book specifically focuses on the pragmatic semiotic theory of Charles Sanders Peirce, and I explain his Semiosis in creative-centric plain language to illustrators and designers. In my book’s introduction I emphasise my rationale for why my semiotics book was needed.

Semiotics for Designers and Illustrators is a theory book written by a creative, using plain language, for creatives. It is also visual, and I have created a number of bespoke diagrams and images for this book. In my last newsletter I introduced you to your guide Little Creative in Theoryland®. Back in 2022 I had begun to explain Peirce’s Semiosis on my Semiosis 101 YouTube channel in ten-minute video episodes. Now with a book commission, I use this format to get the same information across on how to apply semiotic theory into existing creative practice.

To contextualise the theory, I have also collaborated with a number of excellent designers, illustrators and theoreticians and use examples of their work to help you to understand pragmatic semiotic theory in creative terms. In order of appearance (and with URLs where I can) a big thank you goes to my collaborators:

• Samaneh Eshraghi Ivari and Elham Eshraghi Ivari

• Ben Heine

• Ian Fuggle and Sarah Jane Chapman and the Hudson Fuggle designers

• Vera Jenny (Jane) Basiroen

• Jamie Stein

• Eilidh Reid and the How&How designers

• Sara Ogilvie

• Sanjay Patel, Adam Hindmarsh and the Carr Kamasa Design team

• Sarah Jones

• Fiona Burnett and Brand Insiders

I may have previously announced the book will be published in October 2026. However, Bloomsbury has now pushed the publication date to February 2027. As I write this post, I am in the proofing phase, and my book’s pages are looking good. I will be posting pre-order news here with discount codes as the publication date gets closer, so keep checking in on my book newsletter.