Who we are

Dr Emily Porter-Salmon Director

Half Malaysian Chinese and half Brummie, Emily has always liked to keep her options open. She first studied English Language and Literature before swapping sides and moving over to Art History, all while keeping up her sideline as a professional portrait painter. Along the way she wrote a PhD thesis looking at textual cues in the works of David Hockney, and painted his portrait, too. She remains fascinated by words and pictures, whether in the context of art galleries or the world of brands. She is delighted to have found a niche at Sign Salad, where a tendency to become analytical about all manner of cultural phenomena is actually a good thing. Since joining Sign Salad, she has worked on projects ranging from wellness in the US to the meaning of performance and the future of digital media.

On the side, Emily juggles an eclectic and occasionally embarrassing array of hobbies – from taking over the world in strategy computer games to making scale miniatures. When she’s not pursuing these, you might find her pretending to write her novel.

Katrina Russell Director

With a professional background in journalism and the art world, as a commercial semiotician Katrina is happiest when drawing meaningful connections between pop culture and cultural theory.

Katrina’s fascination with the intersections between intellectual and everyday phenomena developed through a Masters in Art History at UCL, in which she focused on modern German architecture and cinema studies.

Katrina has led on projects helping brands to understand new meanings of skincare, wellness, flavour, and plant-based F&B - and has a particular interest in emergent uses of social media. Her hobbies include planned spontaneity, dance, and writing. In her spare time she’s liable to be hiding behind her sketchbook in museums.

Maria Victoria O'Hana         
Project Director

A London-born Cuban/American with close ties to West Cork, Maria Victoria has always been fascinated by culture and the ways in which it evolves across transnational and diasporic communities. Her passion for culture – particularly in its visual manifestations – led her to study Art History before embarking on an MA in Caribbean and Latin American Studies.

Before coming to Sign Salad, Maria Victoria worked in PR at a Latin American agency, and as a Content Marketer in the travel sector. Since joining Sign Salad, she has worked on projects ranging from the semiotics of yoghurt in Mexico to the meaning of wellness in the cannabis industry.

In her spare time, Maria Victoria tends to the biddings and desires of her German Shepherd rescue dog, Tony. When she’s not at Tony’s command, she enjoys boxing, going out salsa dancing, and listening to reggaetón.

Sophia Lucena Phillips            Senior Semiotician

Sophia grew up in the idyllic Cumbrian countryside - an unusual place to be half Brazilian. She has always loved language and been intrigued by subtle differences in the everyday across cultures.

This led her to study Modern Languages at Cambridge, where a focus on sociolinguistics and endangered languages allowed her to take her curiosity (read nosiness) to an intellectual level. She has spent time living in France, Spain and Belgium and since joining Sign Salad, has worked across categories including food and drink, apparel and luxury goods, and markets spanning the UK, Europe, Latin America and Russia.

When not at work, Sophia spends what she would describe as a “satisfyingly high proportion” of her time reading in cafes. Other interests include walking around London, and any kind of opportunity for fancy dress.

Tizzy Thwaites                                    Senior Business Development Manager

Tizzy completed a BA in English Literature at Leeds University before returning to London to continue her academic studies in Law. This led her to begin her professional life in a London-based international law firm, working within their marketing department. Wanting to take these skills and make the switch to the more strategic and creative world of cultural insight, Tizzy joined Sign Salad in 2021 as their Business Development Manager.  

Having been born in Germany - and schooled both there and in England - Tizzy has always been intrigued by culture and the vital role it plays in shaping and differentiating societies. Tizzy has a passion for travel and has been lucky enough to visit such places as the rainforests of Costa Rica, the mountains of Peru and the game reserves of Botswana. Her other interests include hiking, gaming, film and (most importantly) dogs – the scruffier the better!

Freya Ward-Lowery                Semiotician

Freya grew up in the void of rural space between Sheffield, Lincoln and Scunthorpe. In the void, they became addicted to the internet as a way of connecting with culture and people. This eventually led to leaving for a BA in Social Anthropology at SOAS, then an MSc in Digital Anthropology at UCL where they were included on the Dean’s List in 2021. When not browsing memes, TikTok and Reddit for purely academic purposes, Freya runs a queer literary magazine and plays the drums. They still say words like ‘bath’ with a short vowel, and when they find themselves missing home it’s only a short train journey to the best place on earth: Grimsby’s Fishing Heritage Museum.  

At Sign Salad, Freya loves investigating cultural meanings, and has worked on projects ranging from studying understandings of coffee across eleven different global markets to decoding what it means to be Finnish.