Information design and multimodality : New possibilities for engagement across theory and practice

Despite a long association between information design and semiotics, connections remain limited in many respects. This contribution argues that one reason for this is the traditionally weak connection between semiotics and empirical methods. To counter this, a model of multimodal communication is introduced in which theoretical description and empirical research are tightly bound methodologically. Several illustrations of the relevance of the model for information design are offered.