Table of contents
1. Reasoning on how communication theory works in the design field 2. Brand presentation for general audience 3. Brand presentation for professional audience 4. Communication theory as basis for presentations explanation 5. Bibliography and sources of images
Reasoning on how communication theory works in the design field
Communication in the field of design can be understood as the building the relationship between the creator of art, visualisation for a brand or another design related piece and the audience who consumes this content. Those two sides are one of the key features of communication. The sender is the creator who creates the initial message including the ideas and meanings. The receiver is the audience who perceives this message trying to interpret it and make an opinion on it (feedback). In other words — sender side, which encodes a certain message and receiver side, which decodes this message. Also, there are such key concepts of communication in general as symbols (meanings embedded in message) and channels (“tools” for transferring the message).
Communication is always a process: the process of creating a piece of art by some person and then interpreting this message by the other ones, process of exchanging opinions and feedback, process of encoding and decoding meanings embedded in a message. Without having two main sides (sender and receiver) and performing an actual act of interaction between them, there won’t be any communication. The same goes for the design field — without a catchy logo, your potential customer won’t pay attention to your product. However, while communicating, one side can be easily misunderstood by the other one. It usually happens due to different background, culture and context which receivers of a certain message may have. Users and customers interpret visual and verbal signals based on their cultural and social experiences. It makes communication a very complex issue. To avoid any misunderstandings, people can turn to Communication theories concept basics, so did we in this project.
Returning to the design field, design itself is not a neutral visual object made only for beauty. On the contrary, it helps the author (because each component of design (brand logo, advertisement, unique brand colour palette etc.) is surely related to its creator, it can’t exist without the carrier of an idea) to encode needed ideas, values, and intentions through visual and narrative elements. It helps brands to reach their goals in various ways, which Communication theories provide. At the same time, design influences people's behaviour, emotional states, and social interaction. For this reason, theories of communication are essential for understanding how design works beyond just aesthetics — as a tool for structuring experience, guiding action. And as a tool for creating strong relationships, of course. Thus, a very important thing when you want to use design in terms of communication is to understand how people's behaviour works. To use some psychology. And of course to use some essential theories from Communication theories concept.
For all of the described processes above the particular media as the way to communicate is needed. And for now, for the field of design, mass communication is an important part of it as it was through history, but it has changed quite a lot due to the new technologies and media as well that have always been evolving. Nowadays we are in the electronic age and it makes us live even more in the global village, basically, online. Social media is everywhere and they are used every second by a major part of the people. So, it definitely affects the design sphere and the way the creator presents and shares their work and the way the viewer consumes it. Social media has become a big part of this field throughout the past decades. The creator can share and promote their arts through the online platforms and in exchange the audience can see it, react and follow and be updated by authors. And it makes our life easier and has its benefits in terms of design. Interactivity allows directly communicating with the audience and, if we speak about technical interactivity, the technical features of the applications also helps to shape the content and be suitable for the particular type of content. As well this feedback is very instant and quick. In general, the process of mutually sharing and communicating by creator and audience is easily accessible through social media. On the internet the creator has the opportunity to keep a huge amount of their content online and share it with the audience. Basically, it is a huge online gallery consisting of their pieces of design work.
In this project, we also tried to apply some communication theories presented in the Communication theories course. Further in the longread, we will provide two presentations of our project, based on several theories from the course which are the most suitable for our brand-based project.
Our imaginary brand Noctown is a network of coworking spaces for so-called "night owls", people who are mostly awake at night. It's a place where people with irregular sleep schedules can have a good time while the rest of the city sleeps, and even find some interesting company. Let’s apply some useful communications theories to our project theme and move on to the brand presentations. There will be two types of presentations: for the general audience and for the professional audience.
Brand presentation for general audience
The owl people.
Not all people feel alive during the day. For someone, night is just the right time to live. At night, when their thoughts become clearer, there are no distractions, and focus for work finally appears. Society calls these people “owls”, because they are the most productive at night.Concept of invitations to coworking’s opening
The night coworking.
Noctown is a network of nighttime coworking spaces created for those who work, study, create and live after sun sets. We believe that night is not a pause — it’s just a different rhythm. At night, the city slows down. There is less action, fewer interactions. Less life. For freelancers, students, designers, developers, writers, and night-shift workers, daytime spaces sometimes don’t work due to their night lifestyle. They may want to have communication, to be involved in some group — but usually it’s impossible at night time.
Concepts of interior’s posters
A safe space.
Noctown exists to support people with different schedule without any judgment. Our coworking is open when other places are closed. We offer quiet work zones, soft lighting, comfortable seating, and carefully designed interiors that reduce visual and mental overload. In Noctown nothing rushes you. You simply come, work at your own pace or just stay and make some friends with people who live just like you.Concepts of interior’s posters
A community of people who are similar to you.
Noctown brings together people who share a similar rhythm, not necessarily the same profession. Some of them come to finish projects. Some of them come to study in silence. Some of them come to escape loneliness. You don’t have to talk — but you’re not alone.Concept of interior’s poster
Noctown.
Noctown is for people who don’t fit into the conventional schedule of being awake and productive only at daytime. Here night isn't a flaw. Being an “owl” person isn't something wrong. It’s an identity.Brand presentation for professional audience
About Noctown, nighttime coworking network.
Noctown is a network of nighttime coworking spaces designed for people whose active life begins after sunset. The project provides the needs of people who have a nocturnal rhythm of life — freelancers, students, remote workers, night workers, introverted people. These are individuals who lack comfort, active work involvement and social presence in daytime, conventional time for being productive, due to the individuals’ lifestyle.Concept of logo
The positioning.
Noctown brand is built around the idea that night is not a pause in social life, but just a different rhythm of it. The project reframes nocturnal activity not as a deviation, but as a valid and possible way of living. By doing so, Noctown positions itself as a supportive environment where alternative schedules are normalised and respected.Concept of recreation zone inside coworking space
The design as communication approach.
As we have discussed earlier, design usually works as a communication approach rather than just an aesthetically looking image. We applied this feature in Noctown. The visual identity in Noctown is based on aquarel-like images with dark and light grey, black, white, and muted pastel purple and a few amount of yellow colours (as visual solution both in visual brand style and in coworking physical interior ways). It also includes blurred contours, gentle light transitions, and muted tones. All of this forms associations with night, calmness, safety, and quiet. Soft lighting and neat typography of Resist Sans font reduce visual overload. These elements communicate stability, care, and emotional comfort. The coworking space building is structured vertically, with each floor representing a different level of activity and silence. This special level is distributed as follows: the first floor, where the reception is located, is the most active, and the fifth floor, the last one, is the quietest and most peaceful. Such arrangement of floors allows the coworking users to intuitively choose how and where they want to stay, bringing more comfort and letting users have their own solutions about their place of choice, without any harsh persuasion.Concept of reception desk inside coworking space
Concept of library inside coworking space
Concepts of navigation inside coworking space
The importance of community.
Noctown coworkings are designed for people who value the presence of others without a terrible need to interact with them. Communication within this space is guided by delicate design hints rather than obvious rules. For example, such unique feature as wearing optional “Social interaction level” badges allow users to signal their willingness to communicate, creating a respectful and low-pressure social environment. The community in Noctown isn’t formed around one certain profession, but around a shared lifestyle. This creates a sense of belonging based on identity rather than role, strengthening client’s emotional connection to the space and other people who use services of coworking.
Concepts of «Social interaction level» badges
