Keepers: Communication theory and brand promotion
Communication Theory in Design and Contemporary Art
Design and contemporary art are often viewed as disciplines primarily concerned with aesthetics and form. However, their essence lies in the creation and transmission of meaning, which directly relates them to communication theory. Communication theory studies how people create, transmit, interpret, and transform meanings through interaction, and how communication itself shapes culture and society. In light of this definition, design and art appear not as the creation of isolated objects, but as complex, context-dependent communicative acts.
Design as a Strategic Act of Communication
Design is, by its nature, an act of communication. The designer’s task goes beyond creating an attractive image; they must convey a visual message with a specific purpose, whether it’s capturing attention, evoking an emotion, or prompting an action. This approach transforms design into a strategic tool. For instance, for a company or brand, design becomes a key mechanism for communicating core values to the consumer, engaging them, and persuading them to make a purchase. The success of this task depends on how precisely the communicative idea is formulated and visualized.
The «Narrative paradigm by Fisher» plays a fundamental role in this process, asserting that people make sense of the world through stories. Design, therefore, becomes a language of visual storytelling. A logo, packaging, or application interface are all elements of a brand’s story. When combined into a single narrative, they enhance emotional impact and build an empathetic connection with the audience.
Symbols, Context, and Media: The Language of Visual Communication
The transmission of meaning in communication is based on symbols: both verbal and non-verbal. In design, this role is performed by formal elements: shape, composition, color, and typography. Each of these is a conventional sign whose meaning arises not from its physical properties but from the cultural codes shared by both the sender and the receiver.
However, no symbol exists in a vacuum. Context is a decisive factor shaping the interpretation of a message. The same visual image can be perceived in diametrically opposite ways depending on the cultural environment, social situation, or current events. Equally important is the channel of transmission, or medium. The perception of a message changes radically depending on whether it is encountered on a street billboard, in a social media feed, on a page of a print magazine, or within a mobile app interface. This requires the designer to adapt their approach and language for each specific medium.
From Message Transmission to Interaction Management
Thus, communication theory provides the designer and artist not just with a set of tools, but with a holistic analytical framework. It allows for the construction of visual messages in accordance with the audience’s expectations and behavioral models, thereby ensuring the achievement of communicative goals. In the modern digital environment, especially in social media, this role becomes critically important. Here, design becomes the core of visual engagement, and its primary tasks are capturing attention and stimulating interactive engagement. It participates in building a dialogue with the audience, where every like, comment, or repost is part of an ongoing communicative process.
In conclusion, communication theory reveals design and contemporary art as dynamic fields for creating and exchanging meanings. They function not through the simple transmission of static ideas, but by engaging the viewer in a complex game of interpretation, where meaning is born at the intersection of the author’s intent, cultural code, context, and chosen medium. Understanding these principles allows not only for the creation of more effective visual messages but also for conscious participation in shaping the social reality of which we are all a part.
Presentation of brand for a general audience
Meeting the Keepers!
Imagine having little helpers for your flowers and seedlings. This is not just fertilizer, but a smart dispenser in the form of a cute figurine. Our Keepers themselves gradually release nutrients to the roots in the right dosage! And if you are against fertilizers, you can use them as an automatic watering system that will simplify your routine.
Our Keepers are not only about the connection with the plant but also with you. They will help you get rid of the stress associated with fertilizers. No more worries about whether you overdid the dosage, whether you watered the plant, no more unsightly bottles and powders. The Keepers do their job quietly and constantly, like faithful guardians of your garden.
Keepers are about coziness. The figurines serve as a decorative element, bringing life and inhabitants to your garden. Choose your Keeper!
Keepers are about simplicity and freedom. Forget the feeding schedule. Fill it up for a month and forget it.
Keepers will transform your garden! Plants receive balanced nutrition regularly, which will give you vibrant greenery, lush blooms, and immunity for your plants.
Create your own world with your Keepers. They will help turn your garden into a real fairy tale with its own residents and stories.
Presentation for a professional audience
Plant care is a frequent routine for many people who are passionate about floriculture. And fertilizers are just auxiliary chemicals, nothing more. The plant care process is impersonal, and the emotional «human-plant» connection is often weak. Our brand solves this problem by turning care into a meaningful dialogue and personalization.
«Keepers» is more than a product; it is a language and a story. We use communication as an exchange of meanings through signs and symbols. Our Keepers are unique figurine-dispensers that are associated with care, protection, growth, and connection with nature. This association comes from familiar animation and fairy tales. Our main idea is that «your garden is a living mechanism that is cared for.» After all, each figurine is exceptional and is a visual metaphor that creates deep meaning. It is important to us that every customer finds «their own» keeper for themselves and their plant.
We are not just creating a product, but a story, bringing our product to life and humanizing it. People perceive the world through stories. Therefore, our brand is about a world, a fairy tale that invites customers to get acquainted with it.
«Care is beautiful, simple, and meaningful.»
All our content is part of the story. In our brand, we use the theory of social identity, as people seek a balance between belonging and uniqueness. Thus, our brand offers to become part of a shared «garden world,» where they can find like-minded people, friends, learn something new, and share their hobby with the world. At the same time, they do not cease to be unique by creating their own stories related to the Keepers: choosing their heroes for their garden, building their composition, and sharing it with the community.
We actively listen to our customers on social media and involve them in content creation, giving them a sense of belonging.
We want our brand to exist beyond the website and gardens, so we constantly engage in dialogue through social media. Personalized plant care advice based on user photos/videos.
We use different persuasion paths for different target groups.
1. For the «professional group» (botanists, designers), we talk about and show the composition of fertilizers, the eco-friendliness of materials, design research, etc. 2. For enthusiasts, a mix of emotional storytelling and practical benefits is ideal. 3. For beginners who have just learned about «Keepers,» we attract them with the brand’s aesthetics, reviews, and collaborations.
Therefore, we invite designers and marketers to become part of our community and brand!
Our goal is to create not just a brand, but a cultural phenomenon centered around beautiful and mindful care.
Communication theory as the foundation of brand presentations
The communication strategy of the Keepers brand is based on the theories discussed in the course. They helped us deliberately adapt key messages, channels, and emphases for both a broad audience and professional partners.
Instead of a one-way «public information» style, I switched to a two-way symmetrical model: • Each presentation ended with questions and an invitation to give feedback; • I adjusted the content and examples depending on the audience’s reaction, following Grunig’s idea of research-based, responsive communication.
Below we briefly outline several practices from Walter Fisher, Robert Craig, James Gibson, and the «magic bullet» theory that together shape the logic of the brand presentations.
Sociocultural Tradition (Robert Craig)
People make sense of the world through stories rather than abstract arguments. So the presentation does not just list product features, it tells the brand’s story. Its conflict is built around the clash of «cute» and «dark», from which a recognizable style emerges. Each piece with a «face» becomes a small story through which a person can express and reinterpret personal experiences.
Semiotic Tradition (Robert Craig)
Wearing Keepers jewelry is also a social signal: it shows belonging to a community of creative, detail‑oriented young people who value craftsmanship and personal meaning. In this way, the brand becomes a co‑author of the audience’s cultural code, and the jewelry turns into a tool of self‑expression and orientation in the social environment.
Two-Way Symmetrical PR Model (James Grunig)
When working with partners and retailers, we relied on a two-way symmetrical model. Instead of pressure or one-way announcements, we built dialogue and looked for a balance of interests to form long-term, mutually beneficial relationships.
The professional presentation was not a straightforward sales pitch. We focused on three things: openness to collaborations, transparency and expertise (showing production and technology), and clear economic value for partners (cases of effective in‑store placement). The emphasis shifts from a one‑off deal to trust and a stable partnership infrastructure.
«Magic bullet» or «hypodermic needle» theory (Harold Lasswell)
The «magic bullet» model sees a message as a direct «shot» into the audience’s mind with an immediate effect. Today it is considered oversimplified, since people compare sources and filter information. But as a metaphor it is still useful in branding: it reminds us to create short, precise, emotionally charged messages that are easy to grasp and quickly trigger the desired association.
If we transfer the logic of the «magic bullet» to brand promotion, the key is to think of communication as a highly precise, brief, and emotionally charged impact designed for instant recognition. Instead of complex, multilayered explanations of the brand, we formulate one simple, «piercing» meaning that should stick in memory and emotions. This does not mean «zombifying» the audience, but rather deliberately creating messages that require almost no effort to understand and almost automatically trigger the desired association.
In fact, there are many other theories that help draw attention to a brand. For example, there is the «two-step flow» theory. In the logic of the two-step flow of communication, professional presentations are addressed to «opinion leaders» — buyers, retailers, stylists. They are the ones who then transmit their interpretation of the brand to the end audience through product display, window design, and their own recommendations.
Taken together, all these approaches — narrative, work with signs and cultural code, dialogic interaction, and precisely targeted messages — form a coherent communication strategy. It enables the brand to simultaneously speak the «language of stories» with its audience, build trusting relationships with the professional community, and maintain a recognizable, emotionally accurate image in the media space.
Communication Theory: Bridging Academia and Practice // Smart LMS HSE URL: https://edu.hse.ru/course/view.php?id=133853 (дата обращения: 11.12.2025).
«Keepers» by Martinkevich Anna // HSE UNIVERSITY ART AND DESIGN URL: https://portfolio.hse.ru/Project/179293 (дата обращения: 11.12.2025).
