Communication Theory: Confirm You Are Not Human
i. Communication theory
Communication theory frames design not as decoration, but as a system for producing meaning and behavior.
Communication theory helps explain why design «works» not only through aesthetics, but also through interpretation, context, and social impact. Any design object (e.g. a poster, interface, product, space, or game) can be understood as a communicative act that determines what becomes visible and how it is read.
Classical models of communication partially explain how design is perceived: a sender formulates a message, a channel transmits it, and a receiver interprets it. However, visual messages are not transmitted neutrally — their meaning changes depending on cultural, social, and technological contexts.
In interactive environments, communication becomes a process with feedback: user behavior influences meaning. Therefore, effective design is not only clear and visually expressive, but also context-sensitive: it accounts for multiple interpretations and guides them through structure and visual decisions.
ii. Brand Presentation for a General Audience
Imagine a job where a single stamp or checkbox determines whether a person is considered «acceptable»
«Confirm You Are Not Human» Polina Rubey, Matvey Baskakov, Vladislav Lavrukhin, Georgy Verpatov 2024
«Confirm You Are Not Human» is a fictional brand and 3D game in which the player takes on the role of a document verification officer. Every day the rules change, the forms become more complex, and decisions grow increasingly ambiguous.
On the surface, it appears to be a logic puzzle: checking data, spotting errors, following instructions. However, it quickly becomes clear that the game is not only about attention to detail, but about the power of formal procedures. Bureaucracy here is not a neutral background, but an active force capable of shaping lives.
«Confirm You Are Not Human» Polina Rubey, Matvey Baskakov, Vladislav Lavrukhin, Georgy Verpatov 2024
The project is aimed at those who: - enjoy intellectual and investigative games; - are interested in stories involving moral choice; - feel the tension and contradictions inherent in bureaucratic systems.
«Confirm You Are Not Human» Polina Rubey, Matvey Baskakov, Vladislav Lavrukhin, Georgy Verpatov 2024
The visual style is intentionally strict and «official»: cold colors, paper and ink textures, stamps, serial numbers, warning marks. Everything looks familiar and convincing, like real documents, which creates a sense of pressure and responsibility and deepens immersion in the game.
The game communicates with the player politely, calmly, and without emotion. Yet this very calmness prompts reflection: when rules constantly change and the consequences of decisions remain real, «just doing your job» is no longer so simple.
«Confirm You Are Not Human» Polina Rubey, Matvey Baskakov, Vladislav Lavrukhin, Georgy Verpatov 2024
«Confirm You Are Not Human» Polina Rubey, Matvey Baskakov, Vladislav Lavrukhin, Georgy Verpatov 2024
«Even formally correct actions are still a choice» — this idea becomes the core message of the project.
iii. Brand Presentation for a Professional Audience
The project «Confirm You Are Not Human» is conceived as an integrated design system in which the game, interface, and user actions function as a single communication mechanism.The main focus is not on narrative, but on the player’s experience, which emerges through repeated actions and accumulated decisions.
At the core of the project lies the principle of persuasion through process. The player does not receive direct evaluative messages; instead, they are immersed in routine document verification where the rules are constantly changing. This approach turns mechanics into the primary carrier of meaning: the design does not talk about power, but forces the player to interact with it.
«Confirm You Are Not Human» Polina Rubey, Matvey Baskakov, Vladislav Lavrukhin, Georgy Verpatov 2024
«Confirm You Are Not Human» Polina Rubey, Matvey Baskakov, Vladislav Lavrukhin, Georgy Verpatov 2024
The visual language of the project is based on the aesthetics of control and official systems. It employs strict modular grids, a limited cold color palette, high-contrast lighting, and textures of paper and wear. The typography references official forms and instructions, reinforcing a sense of pressure and formal correctness. The interface is deliberately stripped of «friendly» elements so that the user feels a distance between themselves and the system.
«Confirm You Are Not Human» Polina Rubey, Matvey Baskakov, Vladislav Lavrukhin, Georgy Verpatov 2024
All interface elements (e.g. checkboxes, fields, signatures, stamps, and numbers) are designed to be as clear and familiar as possible. They repeat day after day, creating a sense of order and stability that encourages faster decisions with minimal doubt. At the same time, the rules constantly change, creating tension between the apparent «normality» of the procedure and its consequences. The system remains polite and calm, does not emotionally highlight mistakes, and this restraint intensifies the sense of responsibility for every choice.
«Confirm You Are Not Human» Polina Rubey, Matvey Baskakov, Vladislav Lavrukhin, Georgy Verpatov 2024
Promotion and world-building are integrated into a single system. An in-game newspaper, posters and graphic materials are designed as official media of a fictional state. They serve a dual function: expanding the game world and simultaneously acting as brand carriers, shaping atmosphere and expectations even before gameplay begins.
«Confirm You Are Not Human» Polina Rubey, Matvey Baskakov, Vladislav Lavrukhin, Georgy Verpatov 2024
iv. The Use of Communication Theory in the Design
The communication strategy of the brand-game «Confirm You Are Not Human» is based on key approaches from communication theory presented in the course, with an emphasis on understanding communication as a process of meaning-making rather than simple information transfer. The project combines differents traditions, allowing theoretical models to be translated into practical design decisions.
«Confirm You Are Not Human» Polina Rubey, Matvey Baskakov, Vladislav Lavrukhin, Georgy Verpatov 2024
Within the Critical tradition, communication is viewed as a tool through which power, ideology, and social hierarchies are expressed. This logic forms the conceptual core of the project. The game demonstrates that visually «neutral» elements are not objective, but actively participate in processes of exclusion and control. For this reason, the brand’s visual language deliberately adopts the aesthetics of institutional authority: official forms, stamps, strict grids, and serial numbers. These elements are used not to build trust, but to problematize it, showing how communication design can legitimize unjust decisions.
«Confirm You Are Not Human» Polina Rubey, Matvey Baskakov, Vladislav Lavrukhin, Georgy Verpatov 2024
The Social-psychological tradition considers communication as a factor influencing perception, decision-making, and cognitive shortcuts. In the game, this is implemented through constantly changing rules, time pressure, and fear of making mistakes. This environment models real psychological mechanisms: reliance on «official» markers, avoidance of responsibility, and the use of categories instead of individual analysis. These principles also inform the brand’s communication design — the tension emerges not from emotional messaging, but from the structure of interaction itself.
«Confirm You Are Not Human» Polina Rubey, Matvey Baskakov, Vladislav Lavrukhin, Georgy Verpatov 2024
The project also takes into account the Elaboration Likelihood Model. At the first level, communication operates through the peripheral route, using visual pressure, routine, and a sense of procedural normality. At a deeper level, the player may shift to the central route, reflecting on the structure of the system and the consequences of their decisions.
«Confirm You Are Not Human» Polina Rubey, Matvey Baskakov, Vladislav Lavrukhin, Georgy Verpatov 2024
In addition, the project draws on Framing theory, which suggests that the way information is presented influences how it is interpreted. In the game, player decisions are always framed as part of a formal procedure through fields, checkboxes, and instructions. This framing encourages morally complex situations to be perceived as technical tasks, reinforcing the project’s core critical message.
«Confirm You Are Not Human» Polina Rubey, Matvey Baskakov, Vladislav Lavrukhin, Georgy Verpatov 2024
v. Conclusion
Thus, communication theory in the project does not function as an external explanation, but is embedded directly in the mechanics, visual language, and modes of brand presentation. Communication operates not only as a means of information delivery, but as a space for ethical choice and reflection.
The project demonstrates how design and communication strategies can not only transmit meaning, but also shape experience, behavior, and a critical attitude toward systems of power, fully aligning with the interpretive and critical approach emphasized in the course.
Augusto Hohagen. Communications in Video Games [Электронный ресурс] // diggit magazine, 07.04.2023. — URL: https://www.diggitmagazine.com/articles/communications-video-games (дата обращения: 12.12.2025).
Communication Theory: Bridging Academia and Practice [Электронный ресурс] // HSE. — URL: https://edu.hse.ru/course/view.php?id=133853 (дата обращения 12.12.2025)
Marina Agranov. Communication in Games [Электронный ресурс] // Caltech. — URL: https://agranov.caltech.edu/documents/30807/Communication.pdf (дата обращения: 12.12.2025).
Подтвердите что вы не человек // HSEDESIGN URL: https://hsedesign.ru/project/6d5e6d21a6f6464fbefe5cb9a50c2e29 (дата обращения 12.12.2025)
