Thinking about communication theory: emolla
Contents
Author’s reasoning about communication theory Emolla for a General Audience Emolla for a Professional Audience How Communication Theory Shaped the Brand Sources
Communication Theory as a Framework for Design
Communication theory provides a way to understand design not only as a system of visual forms, but as a process of meaning-making between people, objects, and contexts. In this project, communication is approached as an active, dynamic process rather than a linear transmission of information from sender to receiver. Within contemporary communication studies, communication is often conceptualized as a transactional process: meanings are continuously produced, interpreted, and adjusted through interaction. This perspective is especially important for design practice, where objects, visuals, and interfaces do not simply «deliver» messages, but participate in shaping emotional, cognitive, and behavioral responses. Design, therefore, can be understood as a communicative environment that structures how people experience, interpret, and reflect on their own states and actions.
Communication Beyond Words
A significant part of human communication occurs beyond verbal language. Emotions, bodily actions, visual metaphors, and material objects all function as communicative resources. In situations involving emotional expression, verbal communication may be limited or even problematic due to social norms, fear of judgment, or face-threatening risks. Communication theory emphasizes that meaning can be constructed through non-verbal and mediated forms, including symbols, rituals, and material practices. From this perspective, objects can act as mediators that make communication possible when direct interpersonal interaction is difficult or unsafe. This project builds on the idea that communication does not require an explicit interlocutor. Instead, communication can take the form of intrapersonal dialogue, supported by external tools that help structure emotional expression and reflection.Emotional Communication and Safety
Emotional communication is often constrained by social expectations that encourage emotional control, suppression, or rationalization. Such norms may limit a person’s ability to express negative or ambivalent emotions openly, even when these emotions require acknowledgment and processing. From the standpoint of communication theory, this creates a tension between the need for expression and the risk of negative social consequences. The concept of safe communication becomes crucial here: communication environments that reduce evaluation, judgment, and potential threats to one’s public image enable more honest and effective meaning-making. In this project, emotional communication is understood as a process that benefits from: a low-risk communicative setting; the absence of external evaluation; the possibility of reflection and feedback.Communication as a Self-Regulating Process
Another important theoretical assumption underlying this project is the understanding of communication as a self-regulating system. Communication does not end with expression; it includes reflection, interpretation, and adjustment. Feedback — whether external or internal — allows individuals to re-evaluate their emotional state and assign meaning to their experience. This perspective aligns with cybernetic approaches to communication, where feedback loops play a central role. When applied to design, this means creating communicative tools that support not only expression, but also structured reflection and awareness. Within this framework, design becomes a means of organizing communication over time, transforming emotional experience into a process rather than a momentary reaction.Emolla for a General Audience
Emolla is a brand created for people who experience emotional tension and seek a safe and accessible way to express and process their feelings. The brand addresses everyday stress, anxiety, and emotional overload that often remain unspoken or unresolved within social interaction.
At the core of Emolla lies the idea that any emotion is legitimate and deserves acknowledgment. Rather than encouraging emotional suppression or control, the brand proposes an alternative approach: learning to experience emotions consciously and safely.
Emotional Experience
Emolla offers a set of objects designed to support emotional expression through physical interaction. Touch, pressure, repetitive actions, and visual engagement become tools that allow emotions to be released without verbalization. This approach lowers the threshold for expression and makes the process intuitive and non-demanding. The interaction with Emolla products does not require instructions, explanations, or external validation. The user is free to project their own emotional state onto the object, transforming private experience into a tangible and manageable form.A Sense of Safety and Calm
A central aspect of the brand experience is the creation of a calm and non-threatening environment. Minimalist visual language, soft forms, and restrained color palettes are used to avoid sensory overload and reduce visual noise. The absence of sharp contrasts and aggressive imagery supports a feeling of stability and control. Olfactory elements, when present, are designed to reinforce relaxation rather than stimulate attention. Together, these choices form an atmosphere in which emotional expression feels safe and contained.Everyday Practice
Emolla is not positioned as a one-time solution, but as part of a daily routine. The brand encourages regular interaction with emotions through simple, repeatable actions. By integrating emotional expression into everyday life, Emolla helps transform moments of stress into moments of awareness and reflection. This practice-oriented approach emphasizes continuity over intensity. Emotional relief is not achieved through dramatic release, but through consistent engagement with one’s internal state.Emotional Belonging
Beyond individual experience, Emolla communicates a broader message: emotional vulnerability is not a weakness, but a shared human condition. The brand avoids explicit emotional narratives, allowing users to recognize themselves in the experience without comparison or judgment. In this way, Emolla fosters a quiet sense of belonging — not through community interaction, but through the recognition that emotional complexity is universal and acceptable.Emolla for a Professional Audience
From a professional perspective, Emolla can be understood as a brand system designed to mediate emotional communication through material and visual means. The brand does not aim to verbalize emotions directly; instead, it constructs a communicative environment that enables expression, containment, and reflection.
Design as a Communicative Medium
The central design decision behind Emolla is the use of physical objects as communicative mediators. Rather than functioning as symbolic representations alone, these objects invite interaction and bodily engagement. This approach shifts communication from verbal articulation to embodied action, allowing emotions to be expressed through touch, pressure, repetition, and visual focus. Such interaction reduces cognitive load and lowers the barrier to participation, making emotional communication accessible even in situations where verbal expression is limited or undesirable.Safe Address and Reduced Communicative Risk
A key aspect of Emolla’s design logic is the creation of a safe communicative setting. The objects function as non-judgmental addressees that do not respond, evaluate, or store information. This absence of feedback eliminates the risk of social exposure and face-threatening situations, which are commonly present in interpersonal emotional communication. By removing the possibility of external judgment, the brand supports a form of communication that prioritizes honesty and immediacy over social performance.
Structure and Reflection
Emolla integrates expressive interaction with reflective practices. The inclusion of structured tools, such as an emotions diary, introduces a temporal dimension to communication. Emotional expression is followed by observation, documentation, and interpretation, allowing users to recognize patterns and shifts in their emotional state. This sequence transforms emotional communication into a process, rather than a single act, emphasizing continuity, awareness, and self-regulation.Visual Language and Semiotic Consistency
The visual system of the brand is intentionally restrained. Rounded forms, soft contours, and limited contrasts are employed to communicate calmness and stability. These elements function semiotically, reinforcing the idea of safety and emotional containment without relying on explicit emotional imagery. Metaphorical references — such as weather conditions or coloring practices — are used to externalize internal states while maintaining emotional distance. These metaphors allow complex feelings to be addressed indirectly, reducing emotional intensity while preserving meaning.Brand as a System, Not a Message
For professionals, Emolla should be viewed not as a brand that delivers a fixed message, but as a system that enables communication to occur. Its value lies in the orchestration of objects, practices, and visual cues that collectively support emotional expression and reflection. Through this system-based approach, Emolla demonstrates how communication theory can inform design decisions at multiple levels — from object form to interaction scenarios — without becoming explicit or didactic in its messaging.How Communication Theory Shaped the Brand
Communication theory shaped the development of the Emolla brand not by defining a set of messages to be communicated, but by influencing how communication itself was conceptualized within the project. Rather than treating communication as transmission, the brand was designed around the idea of communication as a process of meaning-making that unfolds over time. This perspective informed the decision to shift emotional communication away from verbal articulation and interpersonal exchange toward mediated, intrapersonal interaction. Emotional experience was understood as something that does not always require verbalization or an external interlocutor. Instead, communication was approached as a self-directed process supported by material and visual tools. From this standpoint, Emolla was designed as a communicative environment rather than a message-driven brand. Objects, interaction scenarios, and reflective practices were treated as components of a system that enables expression, observation, and reinterpretation of emotional states. Communication theory thus functioned as a framework for structuring experience, not for prescribing content.
The emphasis on process also led to the integration of feedback and reflection into the brand logic. Emotional expression was not considered complete without the possibility of returning to it, observing it over time, and recognizing change. This understanding informed the inclusion of structured reflective elements that allow communication to continue beyond a single interaction. Semiotic principles further influenced the brand by encouraging indirect and metaphorical modes of communication. Rather than naming emotions explicitly, Emolla relies on visual and material cues that invite interpretation. This indirectness reduces emotional intensity and preserves openness, allowing users to assign their own meanings without constraint. Finally, communication theory highlighted the importance of communicative safety. Emotional communication was treated as a potentially vulnerable process that can be inhibited by evaluation and social risk. By removing external judgment and positioning objects as neutral mediators, the brand creates conditions in which emotional expression becomes less performative and more immediate. In this way, communication theory did not function as a layer added after the brand was designed. Instead, it shaped the logic through which the brand was constructed, influencing how interaction, meaning, and experience were organized within the project.
Conclusion
This project demonstrates how communication theory can be applied to brand design not as an abstract framework, but as a practical tool for structuring interaction, meaning, and experience. By approaching communication as a process rather than a message, the Emolla brand translates theoretical insights into tangible design decisions. Through the use of mediated, non-verbal, and intrapersonal communication, Emolla creates conditions for safe emotional expression and reflection. The brand does not attempt to control or prescribe emotional outcomes; instead, it enables users to engage in their own communicative processes, assigning meaning to emotional experience through interaction with objects and practices. The project illustrates that design can function as a communicative environment that shapes how emotions are expressed, interpreted, and regulated. In this sense, Emolla serves as an example of how communication theory can inform design practice at multiple levels, from conceptual framing to everyday user interaction, without becoming explicit or instructional.
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