Communication Theory: Yagel
Structure:
1. Design and Communication Theory 2. Presenting «Yagel» to a wide audience 3. Presentation for Professional Audience 4. Conceptualisation of strategy 5. Bibliography and list of image sources
Design and Communication Theory
Communication through Symbols
«Yagel» is a brand, operating within jewelry design as a complex communication system, where each item serves as a non-verbal symbol and the primary «message» that undergoes encoding by the sender (designer) and decoding by the receiver (consumer). From the perspective of Robert Craig’s Semiotic Tradition, communication is viewed as sharing meaning through a system of signs. In Yagel’s design, these signs include the horn motif (symbol of power and connection with the sky), patinated silver (symbol of antiquity and mystery), and ice-like crystals (direct association with Siberia). The success of this communication depends on how successfully the consumer interprets these signs in accordance with the context set by the brand — the legend of the lost civilization.
Identity Creation
The brand’s function extends beyond mere message exchange; it actively participates in the reproduction of social order through a symbolic process. The Socio-cultural Tradition emphasizes that communication is closely embedded in culture and social practices. The «Yagel» legend provides the consumer with a ready-made «discourse» — a narrative about resilience, archaic strength, and unique heritage. Purchasing and wearing the jewelry becomes a social practice, allowing the owner to publicly transmit a desired identity and belonging to a specific aesthetic «subculture.» Thus, the jewelry transforms from a commodity into a cultural artifact that actively influences the wearer’s understanding and perception of the world.
Interpretive Nature
The communication strategy of «Yagel» is fundamentally interpretive rather than objective, as it focuses on the understanding of deep meanings instead of predicting behavior. Interpretive theory posits that communication creates multiple realities, and the brand actively constructs its mythological reality. For such a theory to succeed, aesthetic appeal and internal logic are critically important. The legend must be not only plausible but also beautiful and consistent (as with «Horned Dawn» or «Eternal Frost») so that consumers are willing to engage in dialogue and negotiate these created meanings. Successful communication is achieved when the consumer accepts this «piece of reality» created by the brand and uses it to enhance their understanding and reform their self-perception.
Presenting «Yagel» to a wide audience
«Yagel», framed by the theoretical tenets of the communication course, positions itself as a mediator of a historical message. The brand’s central message is the «Shard of Memory,» transmitting the archetypes of resilience, authenticity, and sacred beauty inherent to the ancient culture of Siberian natives. The brand aims not just to sell jewelry but to execute the «self-promotion» of a unique cultural narrative, transforming the piece into a powerful identity statement. The target audience comprises consumers who seek deep meaning and distinction from the mass market, those who are ready to decode the complex, layered message embedded in the symbols and become part of the brand’s mythology.
The communication strategy of «Yagel» is rooted in the rhetoric of design, where form (metal, stone) and function (talisman) act as persuasive arguments for the item’s exclusivity. The brand utilizes the mediated environment (visual content, legend, boutique styling) to create and disseminate its myth, managing consumer perception and evoking an emotional response. The project’s main values are Authenticity, Heritage, and Cultural Depth. Within the context of critical theory, the brand offers an alternative to standardization, giving the consumer the chance to make a conscious choice based not on fleeting fashion, but on belonging to eternal and authentic meaning.
Presentation for Professional Audience
Material Rhetoric and Environmental Strategy
The core of «Yagel’s» design is a strategy of material rhetoric, where every element is utilized to build a compelling argument for authenticity and heritage. We deliberately selected a high-contrast palette of patinated and polished silver to imitate icy shadows and ancient metal, thereby encoding a message of severity and depth. In the boutique’s interior, this rhetoric transitions into architecture: the vitrines are made from cracked acrylic and resin, mimicking frozen mountains, which is a conscious use of the «mediated environment» to control the visitor’s perception. This demands complex multi-level lighting with cold, dichroic spotlights to control reflections and create dramatic shadows, amplifying the feeling of being inside an archaeological grotto where light falls upon artifacts. Our objective is to use these tactile and visual elements to enable the sensory decoding of the brand’s myth.
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Semiotics of Ornament and Critical Stance
The central challenge in Yagel’s jewelry design is the integration of complex Siberian semiotics into a contemporary aesthetic. We employ filigree patterns that transform traditional symbols of Earth, Water, and Sun into geometrically clean, «frost-like» patterns, which requires extreme precision in metalworking and casting. From a critical theory perspective, the brand adopts a stance that pushes back against the global standardization of luxury. We offer not standardized beauty, but culturally loaded value, which allows the consumer to make an informed choice and use the jewelry as a tool for the «self-promotion» of their unique, intellectually grounded taste. This strategy elevates our design from mere decoration into an artifact possessing high cultural capital.
Conceptualisation of strategy
The adopted strategy for «Yagel» was consciously chosen at the intersection of two key traditions from the communication course: the Rhetorical Tradition and Critical Theory. We started from the Rhetoric principle that effective communication is the art of persuasion, where the jewelry item itself and its history must serve as a powerful, non-verbal «persuasive argument». Simultaneously, we relied on Critical Theory, aiming to offer the market a product that allows the consumer to «think critically» and avoid the manipulation inherent in standard luxury. The strategic task was to provide the consumer with «informed knowledge» about cultural value, making their choice conscious and meaningful.
The practical reconciliation of theory and design was achieved through the concepts of the «mediated environment» and «self-promotion». We transformed the myth of the ancient Siberian civilization into a mediated environment: the jewelry design (the material rhetoric of blackened silver and ice) and the boutique architecture (iceberg vitrines, dramatic lighting) all became a physical platform for transmitting the message. The jewelry, in turn, became a tool for self-promotion for its owner. Instead of promoting the brand through traditional advertising, we provided the consumer with a cultural artifact they use to promote their own identity—as a person who values history, authenticity, and cultural depth, rather than pure materialism. This made the act of purchasing an act of cultural participation, rather than just a commercial transaction.
The project is based on materials from the Communication Theory course.
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