“The sigils really do act as branding, in that they give each character formal distinctions--Lannister use of crimson and gold, for example, sets that family apart from the rest on a purely visual level. But they also serve to give a vague indications to the values and psychology of the wearer. That same crimson and gold alludes to power and wealth and vitality, and when combined with the symbol of a rearing lion, tells a holistic story about the prominence of that family and their importance within the narrative,” he explains. “Conversely, the white and grey of House Stark is a straightforward representation of them--stoic, bleak, rather depressing. House Bolton’s pink and red ‘flayed man’ sigil pretty much screams psychopath.

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“What I find most fascinating, however, is the fact that these ‘brands’ exist only as the written word. A Song of Ice and Fire is devoid of illustrations (other than the maps, of course), and yet when we read a description of, say, a battle between Lannister forces and Stark forces, we immediately create a mental image of screaming grey-clad men rushing into an army of red, despite not being part of the exact verbal description of a battle. These brands become such a key part of the reading experience--Night’s Watch black might as well be Tiffany blue or UPS brown or T-Mobile pink.”