Communication theory: LUMEL
Communication theory in the field of design
Communication theory examines how people form, send, receive, and interpret messages, and why the same massage may mean different things to different people. It moves forward a conception of communication that not only regards it as more than information passing in one direction, but also recognizes this is an ongoing, process in which meaning is generated and re-crafted out of words or images, sounds and gestures or objects together with the context within which these are located (situation, culture, expectation), continually modified by response. Communication can work or not work in a certain channel and also for different obstacles, like noise, misunderstandings, or mismatched assumptions.
Designers need to pay attention to this point. Design ends up being a form of communication every time. Products or visual identities, posters, websites, retail spaces, or even one photo shared on social media all act just like messages in a way. They come from some creator. They reach certain viewers. They get sent through specific channels. They aim to create particular reactions. Solid design goes beyond simply looking appealing. It lets people grasp right away what an item represents. They see its purpose clearly. They know how to respond to it. Communication skills prove helpful in actual design work for that reason. Designers can craft sharper messages with them. They can anticipate reactions from others. They can choose paths that cut back on misunderstandings. All this builds up the core intent stronger.
Communication theory also helps designers work with different scales of communication. On the interpersonal level, it explains how tone, politeness, and nonverbal cues affect trust and cooperation. On the mass and digital media level, it explains how platforms shape attention and perception, how repetition and framing influence what people consider important, and how media formats encourage certain kinds of engagement. In other words, communication is not only inside the message — it is also inside the environment where the message appears.
Finally, communication knowledge is especially important in branding, because a brand is not just a logo or a product line — it is a shared meaning that forms in people’s minds through repeated interactions with symbols, stories, and experiences. Strong brands hold their core message steady across all contact points. They manage to tweak it for different groups and settings.
How this can help LUMEL: LUMEL has a very definable and repeatable symbol and action: the knot and the act of tying, which makes it possible to apply the principles of communication theory in order to build a meaning system out of it. This is very helpful in establishing what the knot needs to communicate (identity, transformation, personal choice), how this needs to be communicated in a way that immediately gets across (visual clarity, easy-to-follow styling demos, a strong feedback loop in UGC), and how the same basic concept needs to be applied differently in different communication channels (short transformation videos, product descriptions, packaging design, retail experiences). All in all, LUMEL’s communication can become not only aesthetic but understandable, believable, and consistent across contexts.
Presentation for a general audience
Logo Lumel
If you have ever stood in front of the mirror thinking, «I want to look put-together, but i don’t want to try that hard», you already understand why LUMEL exists.
LUMEL is a brand of transformable headwear accessories inspired by the veil — not as a symbol of marriage, but as a beautiful, modern piece you can wear any day. It is a textile form with ties: you place it, make one knot, and your look changes.
This is not an «only for special occasions thing». LUMEL is made for real life. Windy streets and messy hair days - Quick mornings when you need a fast solution - Travel when you want one accessory that does a lot. - Evenings when the outfit needs one sharp accent
Freedom through styling is the main idea. LUMEL does not dictate one right way to wear it; it gives you a clean base that becomes personal the moment you tie it. The knot isn’t decoration; it’s the moment where the accessory becomes yours.
What makes LUMEL different?
1. One Piece, Many Moods. It can be sleek and minimal, soft and romantic, or bold and sculptural because of how you tie it and where you place the knot. 2. It is easy. No complicated techniques. No perfect hair required. The ties help it stay in place, and the shape is designed so it looks intentional even when you are in a hurry. 3. It becomes your signature. Two different people can be wearing the same LUMEL and look absolutely different. Over time, you naturally find «your» knot, «your» angle, «your» silhouette — and that is the point.
How it works: - Put it on like a scarf, a headpiece - Pull the ties - Tie one knot - Change the position: front, side, lower, higher - and you get a different look
That is it. No instructions that seem like a big homework.
Small details that matter
- Comfortable textiles that feel good on skin - Ties that secure the piece without pinning and stress - Lightweight and packable: it fits in a bag and rescues outfits - A look that reads as fashion, not as «just a scarf»
The unspoken bonus
LUMEL isn’t just about styling. It is about the feeling you get when you take control of your image. In simple, calm words: one knot — and you are not «fixing yourself», you choose your version for today. LUMEL is for people who want an accessory that adapts to a mood — not the other way around.
Tie it your own way
Presentation for a professional audience
LUMEL is a transformable headwear accessory based on one repeatable gesture: the act of tying. The product is designed as a coherent system in which form, construction, visual language, and content all relate to the same core idea: fast transformation through a personal knot.
Concept and brand meaning
LUMEL reinterprets the veil as a contemporary everyday object. The brand is positioned not as an occasion-only attribute but as a styling tool living in urban contexts and routine wardrobes. The «knot» functions as the central brand code: it is simultaneously a functional mechanism, or fixation and fit; a visual signature, or recognizable silhouette; and a narrative cue, or personal choice and self-defined styling.
Product System
LUMEL is a textile piece with integrated ties, engineered for stability and repeatable styling outcomes. Construction enables several ways of wearing without additional accessories and reduces the friction of use, increasing adoption. The product line can be structured as a small system of variations in fabric density/size/finishing/seasonal materials while maintaining the same recognizable logic of tying.
Audience and Usage Contexts
It is about fashion-oriented users who value versatility, self-expression, and fast styling solutions. Key contexts include: city life, travel, transitional seasons, daily commuting, and social outings. Communication is built around these contexts to ensure the product is read as relevant and practical, not conceptual-only.
Identity and visual communication
LUMEL’s identity rests on a consistent set of cues from the knot and ties: linear graphics, looped forms, tension and crossing, and a distinct silhouette language. This code scales across touchpoints-product labels, packaging, photo styling, typography rhythm, and pattern systems-that create recognizability without over-explanation.
Communication architecture: channels & formats
The main form of communication for the brand is short visual demonstration: «tie — transformation.» It shows function and meaning all at once, reduces explanation load, and provides repeatable content units for social platforms. Secondary formats support depth: editorial images, guides for styling, and product pages with clear step-by-step logic.
Community and Growth Mechanisms
Growth for LUMEL is participatory in design. Users are called upon to contribute their tying variations, thereby creating a visible archive of real-life styling and reinforcing trust through social proof. A simple structure of recurring prompts- weekly knot, seasonal styling challenge, «signature tie» — transforms individual use into a shared practice, strengthening brand memory.
Brand experience and quality signals
The brand experience is all about consistency and reliability: skin-friendly materials, stable fixation by ties, packaging that communicates the logic of the product from the very first moment of interaction. What people see should align with what they expect and further with what they actually experience in use -so that the brand remains credible across all touchpoints.
LUMEL is positioned as a modern styling instrument: minimal in form, expressive in outcome, and scalable as a coherent system of product, identity, and communication.
Communication theory as basis for the presentations
The two LUMEL presentations were constructed using the course idea that communication is a relational process of meaning creation through symbolic exchange within context. This makes «one universal brand message» unrealistic: meaning shifts with audience goals, channels, and situational framing.
Craig’s 7 traditions were used as an overall structuring lens for what branding must communicate: LUMEL was treated simultaneously as:
- a sign system (semiotic)
- a product embedded in culture, context, and social practices (socio-cultural)
- an act of influence through verbal and nonverbal communication (rhetorical).
How the course concepts shaped the general-audience presentation
- Rhetoric & persuasion: speaker–speech–listener Informed the narrative design: a clear everyday problem is introduced: want to look put-together fast, then LUMEL is positioned as a practical and value-fitting solution: one knot — transformation; personal choice.
- ELM: central vs peripheral routes Guided message composition. The general text includes central-route content that can be evaluated quickly (ease, versatility, comfort) while the overall communication is designed to be supported by peripheral cues in real delivery (strong visuals and simple transformation demonstrations).
- Peripheral-route shortcuts: Cialdini Were built into the implied launch and content mechanics: social proof through real people’s styling and UGC, consistency through recurring tying prompts, and optional scarcity through limited drops.
Uses & Gratifications Shaped the focus on concrete motivations rather than abstract fashion talk: identity — signature knot, efficiency and convenience — quick mornings, travel, and connectivity through sharing and participation.
Media Ecology: McLuhan Supported the choice of a simple, repeatable: tie — transformation unit that fits attention patterns in contemporary short-form media, where the medium shapes perception and habits: the medium is the message.
How the course concepts shaped the professional-audience presentation
- The professional text reframed LUMEL as a coherent communication system — not only a product: a stable code (knot/ties) that scales across identity, packaging, content, and touchpoints — consistent with the semiotic and socio-cultural emphasis on signs and practices.
- Agenda setting + framing were used to control interpretation. The brand is positioned away from a «bridal-only» reading by systematically selecting urban everyday contexts and emphasizing versatility. Framing is treated as creating context through selection, emphasis, exclusion, and elaboration — the same logic used in the course’s framing model.
- Gatekeeping supported the idea of deliberately filtering brand signals: certain cues are communicated and repeated, while conflicting cues are minimized so the dominant interpretation stays stable.
- Symbolic Convergence supported community strategy: repeated user stories and «tying rituals» function as dramatizing messages, creating shared meanings and a shared brand world — rhetorical vision built from characters, plot lines, and scenes.
Across both presentations, the course theories functioned as practical design rules: define a repeatable symbol, place it in the right contexts, choose formats that fit the medium, structure persuasion for different processing routes, and build shared meaning through participation and storytelling.
Course «Communication Theory: Bridging Academia and Practice»
LUMEL|Исследование рынка головных уборов и формулировка бизнес идеи // portfolio hse URL: https://hsedesign.ru/project/lumel-6fb3d754067c4be98a52ea243bd2ffe1 (дата обращения: 07.12.2025).
LOMME | бренд головных уборов // portfolio hse URL: https://hsedesign.ru/project/a871ff8331e5441fbdbee6a27ae8177e (дата обращения: 10.12.2025).
lomme.lumels. Страница в instagram* (URL: https://www.instagram.com/lomme.lumels?igsh=MXRzOW1oeWZ5NWxiYw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr) (дата обращения: 11.12.2025)
