LUMI (communication theory)
How communication theory works in design
In contemporary communication theory, design is no longer viewed as a linear transfer of information from a sender to a receiver. Instead, communication is understood as something that happens through interaction, context, materials, and atmosphere. A design object becomes a mediator that shapes the user’s experience and influences how a person interprets and feels the surrounding environment.
Light is especially important here because it is a non-verbal and emotional medium. It communicates through brightness, color temperature, direction, shadows, and reflections. Even without explicit messages, light creates a certain emotional tone — calm, focused, intimate, energetic, etc. Therefore, light-based design can be considered a form of affective communication, where the message is not text but atmosphere.
According to embodied interaction theory, people understand objects not only through vision but also through action and touch. If a user can rearrange, connect, or modify elements, they become an active participant in the communication process. This is the foundation of participatory and co-creation design.
Interaction becomes its own kind of message: the object communicates through the way we use it.
This is essential for Lumi: the user creates their own light composition, which makes the object more personal and emotionally meaningful.
Communication theory helps us understand light design as:
✦ communication through atmosphere
✦ emotional influence through sensory qualities
✦ meaningful material choices
✦ participation and co-creation
✦ interaction as a message
✦ the object as a mediator, not a tool
These ideas became the theoretical foundation for constructing the Lumi brand.
Lumi: Presentation for a general audience
What is Lumi?
Lumi is a new kind of lamp that you can change and build yourself.
Instead of buying one finished lamp, you get a base (a standing lamp or a flat board) and many small light pieces made of glass, mosaic, or mirror. You can place these pieces on the base, move them around, combine them, and create your own light shapes.
It’s like creating your personal light art at home — simple, calming, and beautiful.
Today people want their homes to feel unique and personal. At the same time, many of us look for small, calming activities that help us relax after a long day.
Lumi is made exactly for this:
✦ to help you create your own cozy atmosphere
✦ to bring a moment of calm and creativity
✦ to make lighting fun and personal
Lumi makes your space feel more «yours».
What makes Lumi special
It’s personal: you make a lamp that looks exactly the way you want.
It’s calming: moving the pieces and creating your own light design feels relaxing — almost like a quiet evening hobby.
It’s beautiful: glass and mosaic pieces create soft reflections, gentle glows, and warm, cozy light.
It’s easy: no tools, no instructions. Just place a piece — and it shines.
Lumi gives you:
✦ a cozy mood in the room
✦ a small creative break from screens
✦ a sense of control and comfort in your space
Lumi: Presentation for a professional audience
Lumi is a modular lighting system that allows anyone to create their own light environment.
Lamp is designed as a balance between technology and creativity: a light object that you can build, customize, and transform according to your mood.
Lumi is not limited to private homes. Its adaptable format makes it suitable for hospitality interiors (restaurants, hotels, lounges), creative studios and offices, museums and galleries, public or semi-public installations, educational or workshop settings.
Because the modules are small and easy to reorganize, Lumi supports ongoing experimentation — valuable for spaces that evolve frequently or rely on dynamic visual identity.
Communication strategy for professional contexts
Interpersonal communication
The product invites a direct, hands-on dialogue between the user and the object. Instead of a fixed lamp, Lumi offers a negotiated experience, where meaning and aesthetic value are shaped through interaction. This aligns with theories of participatory meaning-making.
Group and collective communication
Lumi’s interactive nature allows for shared use — workshops, group installations, or collaborative displays. The system encourages co-creation, which makes it relevant for educational contexts and community projects.
Conceptual framework
At the center of Lumi’s identity is a single idea: light as an interface between humans, objects, and space.
This concept shapes:
✦ the aesthetics (reflections, materials, modularity)
✦ the technology (induction, magnetic connection)
✦ the brand’s long-term direction (expansion through modules)
For professionals, Lumi stands not as one lamp but as a design and technology ecosystem. It combines innovation, visual adaptability, and collaborative potential, transforming lighting into an evolving, interactive experience rather than a static product.
Communication theory for the presentation development
Conceptual framework
The development of the presentation was directly shaped by several key ideas from communication theory. We applied it as a practical tool for structuring the narrative, defining the tone, and shaping how the brand communicates through both language and visual logic. A central idea from the course is that communication is not only the transmission of information, but a process of creating meaning between people and objects.
✦ User agency became the core message. In both presentations, Lumi is shown not as a fixed product, but as something the user completes through interaction.
✦ Light is treated as a communicative medium, not just illumination. The act of arranging modules, touching surfaces, or shaping reflections is framed as a form of nonverbal communication between the object and the user.
Craig’s Seven Traditions were used less as categories and more as lenses that helped clarify what Lumi «does» as a communicative object.
✦ Cybernetic approach: Lumi’s modular system was framed as a network of elements that «respond» to each other. This influenced how we described both the magnetic connection system and the flexible arrangement possibilities.
✦ Phenomenological approach: The emphasis on sensory experience, tactility, and meditative engagement comes from phenomenological thinking. It shaped the style of the general-audience narrative: slower, more descriptive, focused on lived experience.
✦ Socio-psychological approach: Applied when explaining how the system influences mood, atmosphere, and emotional connection to space.
Audience adaptation and rhetorical framing
A key part of communication theory is adjusting the message to different audiences. This directly shaped the two versions of the presentation.
✦ General audience: The tone is participatory and experience-centered. We avoided technical vocabulary and focused on everyday scenarios, intuitive interaction, and the feeling of creating light compositions.
✦ Professional audience: The structure becomes more analytical. We highlight production logic, scalability, material choices, and collaboration potential. This reflects rhetorical theory: different communities require different persuasive strategies.
Since Lumi is a visually driven brand, digital rhetoric shaped the tone and structure significantly. The key decisions informed by this theory include:
✦ avoiding overly complex technical vocabulary in favor of imagery-based description
✦ highlighting interactivity and modularity, which aligns with participatory digital culture
✦ presenting Lumi as inherently «shareable»: visually expressive, easy to capture, easy to communicate online
Because Lumi communicates primarily through light and form, visual rhetoric played a major role in shaping the presentations.
✦ Persuasion through imagery: The descriptions focus on how light transforms space, helping the audience mentally visualize the result.
✦ Sensory language: Used to evoke texture, reflection, and the meditative quality of the experience.
✦ Clear visual hierarchy: Short sections, clear headings, simple lists.
Communication Theory: Bridging Academia and Practice (2025) [Electronic resource].
Zhang, G. (2025). Visual Communication Design Based on Collaborative CAD and Visual Importance Under the Impact of New Media Art.
Sonnenwald, D. H. (1993). Communication in design. Rutgers The State University of New Jersey, School of Graduate Studies.
Pictures from Ariadna Krivomaz project: https://portfolio.hse.ru/Project/268823
Pictures made by Ariadna Krivomaz.
Pictures made by Elizabeth Holopova.
