Communication theory: Eco-responsible skateboards BAMBOO
Сommunication theory in the field of design
Communication in the field of design emerges as a dynamic process of crafting and transmitting meaning or information from creator (sender) to audience (reciever).
Uses and Gratifications Theory, introduced by Blumer and McQuail in 1970-1980, highlights active audiences seeking media for personal fulfillment whether it’s for information, identity expression, relaxation or aesthetics. It is crucial for an effective brand design to anticipate these needs, balancing what the deisgner conveys with what user derives.
The Narrative Paradigm, intoduced by Walter Fisher, underscores our innate preference for stories over raw data and facts. Audiences intuitively ask the meaningful question: «Does this narrative resonate with me and my views?» Brands thrive not on standalone visuals but on compact tales and meanings behind the brand identity, akin to brand metaphor, its personality and values.
In modern design, elements like Encoding, Channel, Decoding and Context and noise evolve into a bidirectional model: audience’s responce, and brand’s iteration of its visual identity.
For BAMBOO, design channels the skateboard’s rebellious essence — not via text, but through vivid symbols. Bright colors, graffiti motifs, and bamboo textures form a symbolic language that captures the board’s vibe: eco-fierce, untamed, defiant, and pulsing with sustainable grit.
Presentation for a general audience
In the shadow of concrete empires, BAMBOO rises — a defiant fusion of nature’s raw fury and street-born rebellion. Our skateboards, apparel, and shoes spring from bamboo that laughs at chainsaws, recycled bottles reborn as armor, materials that whisper ancient strength. This is gear for the young untamed: those who carve freedom from city veins while mending the earth’s wounds. Here, ecology doesn’t kneel — it ignites.
Logo-lettering for the brand.
When your skateboard has carried you far, bring it to us. We listen to its story and guide it back to life — reborn as your next companion. Visit our stores, receive quiet thanks in credit, watch waste fade into possibility. It’s a simple rhythm: release, renew, ride on.
Custom wheels.
Bright hues settle softly on bamboo’s living texture, graffiti traces paths of personal truth. Light enough for endless journeys, strong enough to carry dreams. These pieces hold space for your style, your eco-heart, crafted for youth who seek balance in motion and meaning.
Custom mugs.
Presentation for a professional audience
«BAMBOO» is a store specializing in eco-friendly skateboards, designed for young thrill-seekers who care about the environment and wish to contribute to its preservation. The brand is oriented towards those who consciously choose products that promote ecological sustainability and strive to make a personal impact.
«BAMBOO» is a community of like-minded individuals united by the idea of environmental responsibility and a passion for high-quality, eco-conscious materials in skateboard production.
Custom deck.
Materials We use sustainable materials such as bamboo, recycled plastic bottles, composites made from recycled cardboard and resins, and other eco-friendly materials.
BAMBOO also runs a program for recycling old skateboards.
Visual Identity
#3099CE — sky blue, represents the freshness of the ocean and the purity of nature, emphasizing the mission of environmental protection and the dynamism of skate culture. RGB 48 153 206 HSL 0.56 0.62 0.50 HSV 200° 77° 81° CMYK 0.77 0.26 0.00 0.19
#0D1C7B — deep blue, reflects the depth of mindfulness and the reliability of the community, reinforcing the character of responsible extremists. RGB 13 37 123 HSL 0.63 0.81 0.27 HSV 227° 89° 48° CMYK 0.89 0.70 0.00 0.52
#A9E722 — bright lime, conveys playful energy of growth and renewal, embodying emotional unity and ecological revival.
RGBZ 169 231 34 HSL 0.22 0.80 0.52 HSV 79° 85° 91° CMYK 0.27 0.00 0.85 0.09
The visual language of BAMBOO consists of
waves, the motif of speed, and detachment.
The speed motif in design conveys the energy of movement and the dynamism of skate culture, creating a sense of constant development and striving for new heights, which resonates with the spirit of extreme sports and the pursuit of personal achievements.
Waves are associated with skate park ramps and natural elements, emphasizing eco-friendliness and smooth movement.
Collage is a technique that unites different elements into a single composition. On BAMBOO’s posters, photos of skaters captured in the moment of detachment from the ground, set against nature, prevail.
The detachment motif in BAMBOO’s design symbolizes both the literal moment of a skater’s jump—detachment from the ground and the desire for freedom—and the metaphorical break from conventional patterns and standards. The torn paper effect emphasizes readiness for change.
Graffiti adds a punk aesthetic and helps the brand organically blend into the urban environment, where street art is part of the culture, creating a sense of belonging to the community and free self-expression. Collage with graffiti resonates well with the brand’s target audience. Punk and freedom. Placing it on city walls, where graffiti already exists, helps it seamlessly blend into the environment
Naming
A mix of energetic exclamations «BAM!», «BOOM!» with the material our skateboards are made from—bamboo. The logo resembles graffiti drawn by a free and confident hand. Its presence on merchandise looks less like a brand mark and more like a custom, adding uniqueness to each item.
Positioning: Vision — a community that further advances the idea of environmental care and produces skateboards from eco-materials. Values — mindfulness, environmental protection, uniting people. Mission — unite people in the skate community and make recyclable skateboards the norm. Character — responsible, playful, emotional. Essence — extremists who preserve nature
Competitor Market
UNION — positions itself as a brand that unites people, producing skateboards from Canadian maple. ABSURD — builds its brand around the theme of the absurdity of skateboarders’ lives, also producing boards from Canadian maple. ELEMENT — positions itself as an eco brand, focusing exclusively on producing environmentally friendly skateboards. BONES — primarily manufactures skateboard wheels, having developed a completely new design and formula for wheel production. CCS — earns most of its profit not from producing its own products, but from selling skateboards of other brands and partnerships.
Advantages
Functional: Ability to give your old skateboard a new life. -Collaborations with artists — product exclusivity. -Unusual production materials. Emotional: -Contribution to environmental protection and ecology. -New connections with like-minded people, including at events for eco-awareness.Thus, BAMBOO combines functional uniqueness and emotional engagement, making it competitive among both direct and indirect market players.
Communication theory as basis for the presentations
The communication theory course became the basis for conceptualising the BAMBOO brand not as a product, but as a living community — a space where environmental responsibility and skate culture merge into a single drive. Messages were designed not just to convey information, but to activate participation. The brand, as the sender, transmits a signal through visual, verbal, and interactive codes, and skaters (as interpreters, the decoding process) are involved in co-creating meaning based on their values and experience.
Adaptation to the audience through the prism of interpersonal and group communication
The theory of politeness. Instead of giving advice, the brand invites people to join a community where every contribution is valued. Respect is expressed in a straightforward confidence in everyone’s personal responsibility, while avoiding moralising.
According to social exchange theory, the value of participation (belonging to a community, exclusive merchandise, access to eco-events) consciously exceeds the costs (price, effort to participate in challenges), creating lasting loyalty through a sense of fairness and mutual benefit. The phrase ‘Ride with us’ works here as a promise of equal exchange:
— we give you the drive, and you help nature
Brand’s merchandise.
EXPRESSIVE LOGIC — Emotional surge: «BAM!» and «BOOM!». The phrases express not only excitement about movement, but also admiration for the opportunity to be part of something bigger. The slogan «Ride with us» becomes a call to joint action, not just to purchase.
CONVENTIONAL LOGIC — Different approaches for different audiences. For skaters, this means the language of street culture, grunge textures, slang, and dynamic visuals. For retailers and environmental partners, it’s clear material specifications (bamboo, recycled plastic), product life cycle, and carbon footprint reduction data. For eco-activists, it’s eco-events, lectures, outdoor meetings, and brand policy.
RHETORICAL LOGIC — For young people, emphasise belonging to the movement («Ride with us»), using emotional triggers (pride, solidarity) and light but powerful slogans like «Just awesome», which work as peripheral markers of identity. For the B2B audience — logical arguments about sustainability, ROI in ESG strategies, and the potential for collaborations with eco-brands, backed up by references to standards (FSC, Cradle to Cradle).
The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) helped to identify a dual communication strategy: — Peripheral cues for street audiences: visual energy (waves, blurred traces of speed, «take-off» in flight), bright graffiti fonts and slogans such as «Just fly away» and «Totally awesome». — Central route for partners: documentation on the purchase of sustainable materials, environmental impact calculators, case studies on recycling old boards.
MEGGS` MODEL
source (the idea of sustainable skateboarding and awareness) → encoding (dynamic visuals) → decoding through scepticism towards «green marketing».
To overcome this, we implemented cybernetic feedback: a QR code on the board leads to the story and the process of its creation, and user photos with the hashtag #BAMBOO_cycle broadcast these stories.
Narrative paradigm
A colourful story about how «extreme sports enthusiasts save nature» is backed up by real actions (a collection of recycled skateboards, outdoor events and calls for eco-activity). Visual metaphors — waves, movement, flight. All this creates a unified narrative image and convinces participants in the movement of the logic and correctness of the idea.
culture, character, experience -> good reasons
«Communication Theory: Bridging Academia and Practice» online-course
Communication Design: What Is It & Everything Else You Need to Know. // Shillington URL: https://www.shillingtoneducation.com/blog/communication-design (12.12.2025).
Message design logic // Wikipedia URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Message_design_logic (12.12.2025).
Visual Communication Theory // pollution.sustainability URL: https://pollution.sustainability-directory.com/term/visual-communication-theory/ (дата обращения: 12.12.2025).
BAMBOO // HSE Portfolio. URL: https://portfolio.hse.ru/Project/178146#
