Communication theory: brand promotion of «Moodfu»
THEORETICAL MOTIVATION BEHIND THE PROJECT
Communication theory becomes genuinely useful when it stops being an abstract diagram and starts explaining how people actually experience each other, especially when distance, mediation, and technology get involved. In design and contemporary art, communication is not simply the transmission of information; it is the construction of meaning, emotion, and presence across different contexts. Every designed object becomes a miniature communication system: it encodes intentions, carries symbolic cues, and invites the user to decode and reinterpret them in their own way.
From this perspective, the products of this imaginary brand explore one specific gap: the emotional distance that appears when physical closeness becomes impossible. Communication theory offers vocabulary and frameworks that help describe this gap more precisely. For example, Craig’s traditions point out that communication is simultaneously a psychological process, a cultural practice, and a symbolic exchange. Each of those layers appears in mediated relationships today: from subtle rituals of staying in touch to the small signals we read and misread in everyday digital communication.
Designing objects for remote emotional presence forces us to acknowledge that meaning is not delivered intact from sender to receiver. It shifts, fragments, and gets reassembled depending on context, expectations, and prior relationships are exactly as semiotic and socio-cultural theory describe. A heating blanket that warms only when another person is lying under it is not «sending heat»; it is creating a symbolic gesture, a shared emotional cue. The object becomes a medium that does not speak in words, yet communicates a sense of care and synchrony. The same applies to paired mugs that react to one another: the small signal that the other person poured tea becomes a ritualised message, a framed invitation, a moment of co-presence.
Politeness theory and facework also unexpectedly surface in these interactions. Much of contemporary digital communication feels abrasive because small signals are stripped of tone and context. A physical-digital hybrid object restores some of that nuance. A gentle light, a soft temperature shift, or a subtle activation is a way to show consideration without intruding, similar to a mediated form of «positive politeness», a respectful offering of attention without demanding immediacy. In that sense, design becomes a behavioral interface that negotiates face needs more softly than words often do.
At the same time, contemporary art often deals with the instability of meaning, of how a gesture changes depending on who interprets it. This instability is not a flaw but a feature: it opens space for personal narratives. The objects in this brand behave the same way. A glowing lamp that activates when someone touches its paired device might be playful for some, intimate for others, or melancholic for someone who associates it with absence. Communication theory frames this ambiguity as a natural outcome of symbolic exchange: messages exist only in interpretation, not in their physical form.
Ultimately, communication theory helps articulate what these objects are about. They are not gadgets. They are not productivity tools. They are instruments for synchronising emotional rhythms across distance, small systems that produce meaning through interaction, expectation, and shared ritual. They treat communication not as information transfer, but as a continuous negotiation of presence. And this is exactly where design meets theory: in creating experiences that speak to people not through language, but through carefully constructed signals that carry emotional weight.
WHY OUR OBJECTS EXIST
THE PRODUCTS
DESIGN LOGIC BEHIND THE COLLECTION
Designing for remote emotional presence means treating distance not as a technical constraint but as a communication challenge. People who live apart rarely suffer from a lack of channels; what they miss is the subtle rhythm of shared life like gestures, cues, and small rituals that make presence feel real. The collection responds to this need by using paired objects as mediating systems, each one turning an everyday action into an immediately perceptible signal for another person. For a professional audience, the value of the project lies not in sentiment, but in how it translates communication theory into concrete interaction design.
The objects rely on sensory cues: warmth, light, touch — because these are historically stable carriers of meaning and are easily decoded across cultures. A paired mug that lights up when its partner is used reframes a familiar gesture as a communicative event. It demonstrates how semiotic and socio-psychological principles intersect: the action is culturally recognizable, and the response prompts a behavioral interpretation rather than a verbal exchange.
The blankets extend this logic through a phenomenological approach. Warmth functions as one of the most universal non-verbal reassurances. When one blanket activates in response to the other, it creates a quiet, bodily echo of presence. The intention is not to imitate physical closeness, but to restore an emotional pattern that distance normally disrupts. The ambiguity is deliberate: users co-author the meaning, much like audiences do in contemporary art contexts.
The Presence Frame and SignalGlow lamp operate through immediate, low-intrusion feedback. A touch that produces distant light, or a shift in illumination that reflects someone’s mood, turns attention itself into a communicative act. These interactions align with the transactional model of communication, offering acknowledgment without imposing interruption, an important consideration in mediated relationships where timing and tone are often lost.
Finally, the Shared Space shelf introduces a cultural dimension by creating a symbolic environment inhabited by two people simultaneously. Leaving an object becomes a ritual rather than a message, reinforcing the socio-cultural view of communication as an ongoing practice rather than a single event.
Together, the five objects propose that meaningful remote connection does not depend on more efficient information transfer, but on richer forms of resonance. They show how communication theory can guide material design toward interactions that feel intuitive, human, and emotionally grounded. It is a direction which is increasingly relevant for both contemporary design practice and the study of mediated relationships.
HOW COMMUNICATION THEORY INFORMED THE DESIGN
The conceptual foundation of this project grows from contemporary communication theory, which reframes communication not as the mechanical transfer of information but as an interpretive, embodied, and culturally situated process. Instead of asking how to send messages more efficiently across distance, the project asks how people construct presence, attention, and emotional resonance when they cannot rely on physical co-presence. This shift moves design from solving logistical problems to shaping experiences of connection.
Semiotics provides the first critical lens. It emphasizes that meaning is never inherent in a signal; it emerges through interpretation, shared codes, and cultural rituals. Everyday gestures—preparing a drink, touching an object, adjusting light—carry familiar symbolic weight precisely because they are embedded in lived social practice. By working with these gestures rather than abstract notifications, the project situates communication within recognizable cultural forms. This reduces ambiguity and allows users to perceive intent without relying on explicit messages.
Phenomenological theory adds a complementary dimension by foregrounding the body’s role in communication. People feel before they interpret. Warmth, illumination, texture, and rhythm can create a sense of closeness long before language intervenes. These theories argue that presence is not only cognitive but sensory; it is built from the small, continuous cues that shape how individuals inhabit space. Designing for remote connection, therefore, requires attention to how sensory feedback can evoke emotional states that distance typically removes.
Cybernetic perspectives further inform the project by focusing on feedback, timing, and noise. In mediated relationships, the problem is not the absence of communication but the irregularity and unpredictability of emotional signals. Delays, mismatches, or overly explicit messages disrupt relational flow. Communication becomes smoother when systems provide immediate, low-intensity feedback that acknowledges the other person without demanding a response. This aligns with cybernetics’ emphasis on regulation, mutual adjustment, and maintaining equilibrium within a system.
Socio-psychological approaches highlight how individuals manage closeness, autonomy, and face through communication. Remote interaction often amplifies uncertainty: tone is lost, context collapses, and simple messages can be misread. Theories in this tradition show that subtle, optional signals—those that invite rather than require engagement—support healthier relational dynamics. They offer a way to express attention without pressure, making communication feel collaborative instead of transactional.
Finally, the socio-cultural perspective positions communication as a shared practice rooted in routine, ritual, and collective meaning. From this viewpoint, presence is created not by singular messages but by repeated actions that gradually construct a shared world. Designing for remote intimacy, therefore, involves creating opportunities for small, meaningful rituals that accumulate significance over time. Objects become not message carriers but sites of practice, enabling users to enact connection through habit rather than instruction.
Taken together, these theoretical frameworks converge on a central idea: meaningful communication is not defined by efficiency or clarity but by resonance—the feeling that one’s actions are registered, acknowledged, and folded into a shared rhythm of life. The project adopts this principle as its core design strategy, translating abstract theory into interactions that support subtle, human forms of presence across distance.
