NEKKO
This project aims to develop a competitive branding strategy for a line of carbonated beverages targeted at young adults and adolescents, with communication theory serving as its conceptual foundation and guiding the overall approach.
Understanding how a brand builds relationships with its audience and forms lasting associations requires looking beyond visual identity, and communication theory provides the tools to explain how design choices may be used to create meaningful messages and experience.
Communication Theory: a framework for understanding design
In design and branding, communication theory becomes a tool for understanding how meaning is constructed and how audiences decode visual messages.
The various traditions of communication theory outlined by Robert Craig provide a conceptual framework for reexamining interpersonal and social interaction from multiple perspectives. This approach is particularly significant in branding design, as the effectiveness of a brand’s communication strategy depends on how audiences engage with a product through a system of values constructed by branding. Within this context, the semiotic tradition is of particular relevance, as it views communication as the creation and interpretation of symbols. Symbols constitute a central element of branding design, as they include visual messages that shape audience perception and contribute to the formation of brand identity.
Design influences audience attitudes by engaging both information processing and quick reactions. At the same time, it frames the interpretation of a topic: the choice of emphasis and visual codes shapes how the brand will be understood.
Thus, applying communication theory makes it possible to better understand the connection between visual decisions and how a company or product is perceived.
NEKKO
The Nekko brand is built around the idea of unrestricted self-expression within digital culture, where bold visual language becomes a way to assert individuality. Its core values are uniqueness, creativity, and acceptance of unconventional aesthetics that shape youth communities.
Nekko’s visual identity relies on an acid palette, sharp contrasts, digital distortions and pixel noise. These techniques shape a dynamic «metaverse» environment.
This aesthetic framework reinforces the brand’s core message: Nekko is a drink for those who choose visibility, originality, and creative expression in a world where physical and online realities constantly intertwine.
Nekko is more than just a product. It represents a sense of freedom and inner confidence. The brand supports those who live at their own pace while staying true to who they are.
Nekko — be unique.
Presentation for the professional audience
Nekko is a carbonated beverage brand built primarily through visual communication. The core idea of the brand — self-expression and individual choice — is not conveyed directly, but through a system of signs and associations.
The color palette of Nekko is based on acidic, high-contrast combinations that perform a semiotic function of visibility and differentiation. Bright color, surrounded by visual noise, acts as a marker of presence and increases the likelihood of audience response. This enables the brand to differentiate itself and contributes to the formation of a strong and lasting impression.
The use of glitch effects, noise, and digital distortions reflects the media environment in which the product’s audience exists. Within the logic of media ecology, the message is adapted to screen-based perception, where instability and fragmentation have become the norm.
Mascots play an important role in Nekko’s communication strategy, acting as visual mediators between the brand and its audience. They do not function as literal «faces» of the product, but rather as symbolic figures that embody the value of individuality.
From a rhetorical perspective, Nekko’s communication relies on peripheral persuasion: the brand operates through atmosphere, visual coherence, and the repetition of codes, fostering a stable emotional connection without the need for rational argumentation.
PRODUCT DESIGN
The Nekko brand introduces a modern line of sparkling drinks featuring four bold and trendy flavor combinations: Yuzu–Blueberry, Lemon–Ginger, Sakura–Lychee, and Peach–Matcha.
Each flavor is carefully crafted to reflect current youth taste trends, blending familiar notes with unexpected accents. These combinations are designed to spark curiosity and deliver a vibrant, refreshing taste experience.
POSTERS
The relevance of the course to this project
The course on communication theory provided a general understanding of how messages are formed and interpreted within the media sphere, and introduced key concepts used in the analysis of visual and semantic communication. It broadened our theoretical perspective and made it possible to view branding not only as a set of visual solutions, but as a process of transmitting and reinforcing meanings between a brand and its audience.
At the same time, in practice the course proved to be more of a supporting framework than a practice-oriented tool. It did not directly influence the design process, but was useful at the stage of reflection and conceptualization, helping to structure intuitive decisions and justify them within a professional and academic context. In this sense, the course serves a complementary role, reinforcing practical work with theoretical grounding.
Course materials: «Communication Theory: Bridging Academia and Practice». Smart LMS HSE.
Craig, R. T. «Communication Theory as a Field.» Communication Theory, vol. 9, no. 2, 1999, pp. 119–161.
Original designs and illustrations made by Vasilenko Veronika and Gwindzia Leon
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