Theo van Leeuwen is currently Professor of Language and Communication at the University of Southern Denmark and Honorary Professor at the University of New South Wales, Australia. His many influential publications include Multimodal Discourse: The Modes and Media of Contemporary Communication (with Gunther Kress); Speech, Music, Sound; Introducing Social Semiotics, Discourse and Practice: New Tools for Critical Discourse Analysis; and Reading Images (with Gunther Kress).

• List of figuresAcknowledgementsIntroductionChapter 1 The social semiotics of identityChapter 2 Functionality and identityChapter 3 Analysing styleChapter 4 ShapeChapter 5 ColourChapter 6 TextureChapter 7 MovementChapter 8 A social semiotic theory of synaesthesiaReferencesIndex

"A key figure in the fields of multimodality and social semiotics, van Leeuwen consolidates his groundbreaking research on style and identity in this thought-provoking yet accessible book. Providing analytical tools as well as historical perspectives on identity design as meaning-making, I recommend this book to every student and researcher interested in the relation between multimodality, style, culture and identity."Anders Björkvall, Örebro University, Sweden"Theo van Leeuwen did it again. Drawing from an impressive range of linguistic, cultural, visual and sociological research, in this sophisticated volume the co-founder of multimodality develops a ground-breaking take on the importance of style in contemporary design and communication. An unmissable read for all students and researchers of meaning-making."Giorgia Aiello, University of Leeds, UK