Коммуникация бренда Inflastle
Communication theory in the field of design and contemporary art
Communication is fundamentally a process of creating meaning through the exchange of symbols within specific contexts. It is inherently relational, symbolic, and situated—the significance of a message shifts profoundly depending on whether it appears in a gallery, a social media story, or a private conversation.
Theory provides a structured framework for understanding these dynamics. It translates intuitive understanding into systematic concepts that describe, explain, and even reshape how communication functions. This is especially evident in design and contemporary art, where every visual object—be it a poster, an installation, or an everyday item—operates as both a functional artifact and a theoretical proposition concerning identity, power, or culture.
Broadly, communication theories can be approached from two primary orientations:
Objective theories seek measurable patterns in communication, such as behavioral effects or audience responses, often employing quantitative methods.
Interpretive theories focus on the meanings, values, and multiple realities constructed through communication, typically using qualitative analysis and close reading of texts and practices.
Design and art align largely with the interpretive: the emphasis is less on a single truth and more on how objects are variously interpreted, how they participate in forming identity, and how they engage with cultural meaning.
A useful meta-framework, such as Robert Craig’s seven traditions of communication theory, offers distinct lenses for analyzing any project. These include the cybernetic, socio-psychological, socio-cultural, critical, rhetorical, phenomenological, and semiotic perspectives.
Applying this to a design or art brand means any object can be examined as:
• A semiotic system of signs and visual codes.
• A socio-cultural practice that enables the performance of identity.
• A critical discourse that affirms or challenges prevailing norms.
• A medium for interpersonal communication that shapes interaction and self-presentation.
Brand of bags and nightlights Inflastle
A strategy integrating semiotic and socio-cultural approaches has been chosen for the Inflastle brand. Semiotically, the products function as signs. Fairy-tale symbols, such as the castle and crown, are reinterpreted through a modern, abstract form, engaging in a dialogue with the princess archetype. Socio-culturally, these objects are embedded into daily practices, promoting a new norm: the modern princess independently creates her world, using accessories as tools for self-expression and interaction.
This approach is grounded in the concept of accessories as vehicles for identity communication—a medium to articulate personal values and achieve social recognition. Inflastle provides instruments for the performance of identity.
Consequently, through its use of ironic, minimalist symbols, the brand enables creative young women to publicly enact an independent, contemporary interpretation of the «princess» in their daily lives.
Presentation of Inflastle brand for a general audience
Inflastle is a design brand that creates 3D-printed bags and nightlights inspired by airy, inflatable castles — like doll houses and cartoon palaces from childhood, but reimagined in a minimalistic, futuristic style.
Slogan: «A magical transformation of your look and your space»
Positioning: Inflastle is a brand for modern princesses — bold, creative, independent women who can finally buy their own castle and use it to express their unique style, day and night.
The brand supports identity needs. Customers literally use the bag/light as a tool to say «this is who I am» in interpersonal communication (IPC satisfies identity and spiritual needs and helps us construct and negotiate relationships).
It also serves instrumental needs: it’s an art-object, and a bag you can take to an event, and a lamp you can use at your desk at the same time.
Communication is symbolic and relational. The castle-bag becomes a message to others (friends, colleagues, strangers at events), and the reactions («wow», curiosity, compliments) become feedback in the communication process.
Target audience
From the perspective of Social Exchange Theory, Inflastle promises a very favorable rewards vs costs ratio:
— Rewards: attention, compliments, sense of uniqueness, emotional comfort in the evening, playful fantasy, identity reinforcement. — Costs: financial cost + the «risk» of standing out.
The brand communication reassures the audience that the rewards (confidence, mood, uniqueness) are worth the cost of being seen and noticed.
Presentation of Inflastle brand for a professional audience (designers)
For designers, we can present Inflastle using more precise visual and theoretical language, focusing on color, symbols, form, and typography in terms of semiotics, socio-cultural and critical traditions.
Concept and form
An «air castle» as a core form — architecture reduced to a soft, inflatable-looking, minimal structure.
This is a reinterpretation of realistic architecture through a minimalist and futuristic aesthetic, produced by 3D printing.
From a semiotic perspective, this is a strong example of sign transformation:
Traditional castle → symbol of power, protection, fairy-tale romance, patriarchy («castle where the princess waits»). VS Inflastle castle → minimized, softened, portable object; now it signifies self-owned fantasy, playful power, mobile identity.
From a phenomenological angle, the tactile, smooth, «toy-like» geometry invites a childlike, playful experience, while still functioning as a stylish adult accessory.
Color palette
Bright colors: pink, lilac, blue, orange.
These colors work on several levels:
Socio-cultural tradition: they reference pop culture, cartoons, toys, candy aesthetics — the visual language of childhood and fairy tales. At the same time, in contemporary design they are linked to bold, experimental, Instagram-friendly visuals.
The palette thus sits at the intersection of nostalgia (childhood princess imagery), and contemporary youth culture (Neo-Y2K, digital aesthetics, bold creative communities).
Semiotically: Pink/lilac → obvious princess/fantasy connotations. Blue → brings an air/sky element to the visual language. Orange → introduce a slight dissonance and «weirdness», adding irony and edge so it doesn’t fall into cliché «baby-pink» kitsch.
Visual symbols & illustration system
Brand uses fairy-tale iconography as a sign system: crown, dwarf, bed, castle, frog, knight, shoe, etc.
From a semiotic tradition standpoint: These are highly conventionalized signs with shared cultural meanings (princess story, quest, romance, magic).
Inflastle uses them with irony and role reversal:
- The princess does not wait — she already has the castle.
- The fairy-tale elements become graphic motifs and brand assets rather than narrative instructions to «find a prince.»
From a critical tradition perspective: This is a subtle critique of the ideology of the classic fairy tale, where female characters are passive.
By turning the castle into a purchasable, wearable, playful object, the brand says:
«The modern princess is financially and creatively independent; she can design and buy her own fairy tale.»
Typography
Modern serif (antiqua) with a Gothic reference.
This typography alludes to Gothic and medieval scripts (historical narratives, «old tales», ancient castles), but is implemented in a contemporary, clean way.
Through the semiotic and rhetorical traditions: It connects the brand to storytelling, narrative, and high culture, giving depth and seriousness to otherwise playful, toy-like forms and colors.
Through the semiotic and rhetorical traditions:
«Yes, we’re ironic and playful, but we also know the history of visual culture and we place ourselves in that continuum»
Brand character & communication tone
Character: «creative girlfriend», confident, sometimes a rebel, living life fully. In interpersonal communication terms:
This brand-voice manages positive face needs of the audience (they want to be liked, admired) by constantly framing them as «bold, creative, modern princesses».
At the same time, it respects their negative face needs (autonomy, freedom) by emphasizing independence, choice, experimentation — no one dictates how a princess should look.
For designers, we can frame Inflastle as: A semiotic playground: re-coding princess symbolism via futuristic form and color.
A socio-cultural experiment: testing how young women integrate fairy-tale symbols into adult, professional, creative lives.
A critical commentary: gently deconstructing gendered fairy-tale narratives through ironic, yet affectionate design.
The communication theory framework for the brand presentation
The Inflastle brand constitutes a continuous communication process, where the exchange of meaning occurs through visual symbols (castle, crown) and their integration into social practices —from a public outing to the personal ritual of using the nightlight.
An interpretive foundation This research is consciously built on an interpretive paradigm, focusing on the subjective meanings the audience projects onto the objects, rather than measurable effects. This reflects the nature of design as a field for identity construction.
Theoretical framework: three of Craig’s traditions The brand strategy is structured by three traditions: •Semiotic: The products are analyzed as a system of signs, where fairy-tale symbols are recoded into abstract, contemporary forms. •Socio-cultural: The brand is viewed as a practice that establishes a new norm—the idea of a self-sufficient, independent «princess» who creates her own world. •Critical: The brand narrative subtly subverts traditional fairy-tale ideologies of passivity, offering an ironic, self-determined interpretation of the archetype.
Communication and identity Inflastle functions as a tool for interpersonal and identity communication: •The bag satisfies the need for public identity expression («modern princess»). •The nightlight addresses the spiritual need for creating a personal, symbolic space. •Together, both objects solve a practical task, merging functionality with a deep symbolic layer.
Exchange theory as an explanation of value Following the logic of Social Exchange Theory, Inflastle’s value to the audience lies in high emotional rewards. The «bag + nightlight» combination in a single object increases the perceived benefit, justifying the cost. The brand’s promise—"a castle you finally buy for yourself"—directly appeals to this economy of emotions and self-worth.
Result: the hybrid object as a communication node The analysis of Inflastle demonstrates how a design object becomes a multi-contextual communication node, functioning simultaneously across various environments: as an accessory on the street, a topic of discussion on social media, an art object at an event, and a personal artifact in the home space. This analysis, at the intersection of existing theories, contributes to the practical understanding of contemporary brands.
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