Segni & Simboli fra Design, Resistenza & Collettività: La Disobbedienza semiotica come atto civico di progetto

Alessio Caccamo; Alessandra Carrubba; Mirko Bonfiglio; Caterina Vettraino

doi:10.82068/pgjournal.2026.23.42.06

Authors

Alessio Caccamo Sapienza University of Rome Author
Alessandra Carrubba Sapienza University of Rome Author
Mirko Bonfiglio Sapienza University of Rome Author
Caterina Vettraino Sapienza University of Rome Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.82068/pgjournal.2026.23.42.06

Keywords:

Semiotic Disobedience, Communication Design, Semiotics of Resistance, Visual Culture, Graphic Activism

Abstract

This article develops a preliminary taxonomy of semiotic disobedience through an inductive approach applied to sixteen case studies distributed geographically and temporally. Through the comparative analysis of sixteen case studies — from the Pink Triangle to the Palestinian Watermelon, from the LGBTQ+ Lambda to the Jolly Roger of One Piece — the study identifies three recurring operative mechanisms: transposition, which inverts the semantic valence of symbols of oppression or everyday life; archetypal construction, which generates entirely new visual codes destined to sediment as collective memory; and code hacking, which deliberately manipulates popular culture symbols, institutional communicative artefacts, and visual systems through allusion, metaphor and polysemy, conveying messages of dissent without necessarily resorting to explicit slogans, in order to evade contemporary systems of algorithmic censorship and the most insidious forms of pre-emptive control.

Author Biographies

Alessio Caccamo, Sapienza University of Rome

Information Designer, TDA Researcher, and Lecturer in Design at the Department of Planning, Design, and Architectural Technology at Sapienza University of Rome. He explores the design, social, and educational impacts of Human-Data Interaction and Data Visualization. Winner of the 2019 SID Design Award, he has served as the coordinator of SID's "Design for Education" research network since 2023. In 2024, he received a special mention in the Doctoral Thesis Award from Sapienza University of Rome. Since 2025, he has been Editor-in-Chief of Progetto Grafico Journal, published by AIAP Edizioni.
Alessandra Carrubba, Sapienza University of Rome

Media designer with a Master's degree in Design, Multimedia and Visual Communication from the Department of Planning, Design, and Architectural Technology at Sapienza University of Rome. Her research focuses on graphic and typographic design, drawing on the fields of user-centered design, the accessibility of visual language, and the interaction between analog and digital experiences in contemporary communication.
Mirko Bonfiglio, Sapienza University of Rome

Media designer and PhD candidate at the Department of Planning, Design, and Architectural Technology at Sapienza University of Rome. His research focuses on computational theories and creative practices that explore new ways of communicating through data, adopting an interdisciplinary approach that draws on design culture, anthropology, sociology, and emerging technologies.
Caterina Vettraino, Sapienza University of Rome

Media designer with a Master's degree in Design, Multimedia and Visual Communication from the Department of Planning, Design, and Architectural Technology at Sapienza University of Rome. Her research focuses on communicative expression — from graphic design to photography — and is grounded in transfeminist, inclusive, anti-racist, and non-binary perspectives within design culture.

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Signs & Symbols Among Design, Resistance & Collectivity

Semiotic Disobedience as a Civic Act of Design

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