How communication theory works in the field of design and contemporary art

Design as a Communication System

From the perspective of Roman Jakobson’s theory of communication, any design object can be understood as a message. In Jakobson’s classical model, communication consists of a sender, a message, a channel, a code, and a receiver. In design practice, this model helps to consciously structure how meaning is produced and transmitted: the object itself performs the role of the message, while its material presence in space functions as the channel.

Applying this framework allows designers to move beyond purely aesthetic decisions and to consider design as an intentional act of communication. Every formal choice becomes part of a system aimed at reaching the viewer.

In the case of Pelagia lamps, the designer acts as the sender, and the message is constructed through form, light, and material. Recycled glass, organic shapes, and a diffused glow create a visual code that can be intuitively read by the viewer without the use of verbal language. Communication therefore takes place primarily on visual and tactile levels, enhancing accessibility and emotional engagement.

Material and Form as Signification

Roland Barthes viewed everyday objects as signs embedded within cultural systems of meaning. From this perspective, the material and form of a design object are never neutral; they carry symbolic and ideological significance. For designers, this understanding enables more conscious use of materials as communicative elements rather than purely functional components.

In Pelagia, recycled glass functions as a sign of environmental responsibility and cyclical production. At the same time, the morphology inspired by marine fauna refers to natural processes, depth, and the vulnerability of oceanic ecosystems. Light passing through the irregular structure of the glass enhances the sense of fragility and constant transformation.

Lighting as a Medium

Marshall McLuhan’s statement that «the medium is the message» emphasizes that the form of transmission is often more significant than the content itself. Applied to design, this idea suggests that the object itself becomes a medium through which ideas and values are conveyed.

Understanding design as a medium allows designers to focus on experience rather than representation. Pelagia lamps function as a mediator between the viewer and the theme of the ocean. In this case, glass and light form the medium, while the message emerges as a sensory experience reminiscent of an underwater environment.

Rather than explaining its concept directly, the lamp offers an experience in which the viewer becomes an active participant in the communication process. In this sense, communication theory does not simply describe the project, but actively shapes its design logic, transforming Pelagia lamps into intentional communicative objects rather than purely functional lighting devices.

Brand Presentation for a General Audience

Pelagia is a light laboratory that transforms ocean-derived waste into lighting objects inspired by bioluminescence and marine life. The brand name refers both to the open sea (pelagos) and to the luminous jellyfish Pelagia noctiluca, defining its core idea: the exploration of deep-sea aesthetics through sustainable and research-driven design. Pelagia's communication is aimed at people who use design as a way to shape a conscious, meaningful, and visually articulated identity.

Audience Segments

1. The Conscious Aesthete(25–38) Interests: sustainable fashion, zero-waste lifestyles, eco-activism, visual storytelling through digital platforms. Motivation: looks for brands that combine refined aesthetics with credible environmental values. Visual appeal is important, but it must be supported by a coherent ethical narrative. Dialogue with Pelagia: The lamp is perceived as evidence of an informed choice. The jellyfish-inspired form signifies beauty, while the use of recycled materials signals responsibility. The object becomes part of a personal narrative about sustainability, often shared within digital culture as a statement of values.

2. The Depth Seeker (30–50) Interests: oceanography, diving culture, ecopsychology, meditation, popular science. Motivation: approaches objects as tools for reflection and knowledge. Values symbolism, research, and layered meaning over immediacy. Dialogue with Pelagia: The lamp functions as an object of contemplation. Biomimetic forms evoke marine biology, while the material origin encourages reflection on ecological cycles. For this audience, Pelagia offers intellectual and emotional immersion rather than decoration.

3. The Curator (28–45) Interests: contemporary design, collectible objects, limited editions, craftsmanship. Motivation: collects objects as carriers of cultural narratives. Provenance, documentation, and context are central to value. Dialogue with Pelagia: The lamp is perceived as a collectible artifact. Each piece, connected to a specific environmental context or research narrative, becomes a material record of transformation. Packaging, certification, and storytelling reinforce its status as a design object positioned between function and contemporary art.

Pelagia’s communication is built on a shared cultural sensitivity between the brand and its audience. Meaning unfolds through a quiet system of visual and material cues.

Biomimetic forms and recycled materials are read through contemporary ideas of sustainability, care, and conscious living. References to bioluminescence, depth, and shadow evoke exploration, scientific curiosity, and a meditative relationship with light.

Without this shared context, the object may appear as a simple decorative lamp. For its intended audience, however, Pelagia becomes a space for personal interpretation.

Brand Presentation for a Professional Audience

Pelagia operates within an interpretive communication model, understanding its role not as the delivery of fixed messages, but as the creation of a shared space for meaning and dialogue. This approach is reflected in the brand’s identity: restrained minimalism, material clarity, and positioning within the premium design segment. The visual language signals respect for scientific knowledge, ecological complexity, and high design standards.

Semiotic Framework

Pelagia functions as a system of signs in which material, form, and light carry distinct layers of meaning. Recycled ocean plastic is treated as a trace of a specific ecological context. Through refined processing and finish, this origin becomes legible without being literal, transforming environmental residue into a valued surface. Biomimetic forms are abstracted. They reference bioluminescence and ecosystem fragility while remaining open to interpretation. Formal restraint allows partners to project scientific, environmental, or emotional readings onto the object. Light functions as a sign of vitality and transformation. Its controlled intensity and clarity create an atmosphere of focus and contemplation, positioning illumination as an expressive element. Meaning emerges through interpretation: a biologist may read the object as an organism, an ecologist as a measure of intervention, and an architect as a narrative of sustainable luxury.

Sociocultural Positioning

Pelagia engages in the formation of new cultural norms around sustainability and design. The brand connects science, design, and public space, creating a shared cultural platform for environmental discourse. Concepts such as marine debris and biomimicry are reframed as integral to contemporary premium design, shifting them from niche ecological topics into established cultural values. Environmental responsibility is presented as a source of aesthetic, intellectual, and material innovation.

Through this positioning, Pelagia functions as a cultural mediator, making environmental practice both visible and desirable.

Professional engagement with Pelagia is shaped through direct, embodied experience. The contrast between the tactile memory of recycled material and visual refinement, combined with a cool, focused glow, creates a non-verbal connection to both ecological challenge and transformation. When a lamp is produced from material linked to a specific expedition or partner initiative, it becomes a commemorative object—translating data and effort into a tangible artifact. Pelagias relevance for professionals lies in this intersection of expertise and experience, where knowledge meets materialized transformation.

Communication Channels

Digital Website: full catalog of lamps, basic information about us. YouTube: lamp making process, research-based storytelling, artist and scientist conversations. Socials: community, news and updates.

Partnerships & Amplification Collaborations with eco-design practitioners and science communicators. Presence on curated design platforms and premium online publications.

Physical & Experiential Pop-up Ocean Lab exhibitions on design-focused platforms. Selective placement in concept stores and cultural institutions.

How communication theory from the cource helped us to develope the strategy

Social Identity Theory

The presentation of the general audience is informed by Social Identity Theory, emphasizing symbolic affiliation over demographic categorization. Pelagia’s lamps operate as markers of identity — subtle rather than declarative — expressing a shared worldview, emotional attunement, internal coherence, values, care for the environment. Ownership of Pelagia lamps becomes visual marker of group membership, that differ owners of the lamps from "mainstream consumers", which usually choose prioritizing price over values.

Through interaction with the brand, individuals symbolically position themselves within a community shaped not by explicit beliefs, but by a common sensibility — a mutual valuing of intention, slowness, and layered symbolic meaning.