The two tools
Semiotic square. A 2×2 plotted on two opposing tensions (axes). Drop your brand and its rivals on it to see where the field clusters and where it doesn't.
Six-petal flower. A radar across the six classical brand registers — Myth, Body, Ritual, Tribe, Craft, Vision — for quickly profiling a brand's centre of gravity.
The three layers
Subject → Tension → Lens
Sector pack — the subject
Left railPick a market and the canvas seeds itself: curated axes, 6–8 reference competitors, and the sources the AI grounds in.
Axis preset — the tension
MiddleThe square is only as sharp as its two axes. Each preset is a pole pair (Light↔Heavy, Heritage↔Futurist, Insider↔Universal…). Pick one or write your own.
AI strategist — the lens
Right railButtons that act on what's loaded: propose semiotic axes, find competitors, blue ocean, tone of voice, visual codes. Each has an Angle chip to tilt the run (Cultural / Functional / Disruptors / Editorial…).
The four quadrants
Once both axes are set, the four corners take on meaning — borrowed from the visual arts, not from mythology.
Counter-canon
− / +The loyal opposition. Same ambition, inverted aesthetic.
Salon
+ / +The consensus corner. What the category is currently rewarded for.
Subliminal
− / −The unspoken corner. Codes the category half-uses but won't name.
Studio
+ / −The working-craft corner. Less theatre, more practice.
A first pass — 90 seconds
- 01Write a one-line Product / idea and (optionally) a Market / context in the Brief.
- 02Pick a Sector pack on the left (or skip it for a blank square).
- 03Pick an Axis preset in the middle — or hit Semiotic axes on the right and let the AI propose three.
- 04Drag You onto the square. Hit Competitors to populate rivals, then Blue ocean to surface empty territory.
- 05Use Tone of voice and Visual codes to translate the position into language and aesthetics.
- 06Export the whole map as a PDF from the top-right.
What it's good for
- Brand positioning workshops and category audits.
- Naming, tone, and messaging exercises — once a position is fixed.
- Finding white space before a rebrand or a new product launch.
- Teaching semiotics: the square + flower as live, editable artefacts.