Publication: Visualization of emotional experiences with Schizophrenia
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Type
Thesis
Degree
BA
Date
2025
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Published Version
Abstract
Abstract
This bachelor thesis examines how graphic design can contribute to supporting
the emotional expression of young adults with schizophrenic experiences. The
starting point is the realization that conventional language-based forms of
communication reach their limits in phases of psychological overload or inner
distancing. Especially in young adults, in whom the disease often occurs for the
first time, emotional states can be experienced intensively, but hardly
verbalized. This results in misunderstandings, withdrawal and social isolation.
The focal point of this research is an analogue card system that is intended to
facilitate emotional self-perception as well as the exchange with close people.
Inspired by the symbolic language of the Tarot, the set combines archetypal
pictorial motifs with an emotional color system. The cards do not prescribe
diagnoses but offer resonance spaces for individual interpretations. The aim is
to make emotional states visible and to create impulses for conversations or
joint reflections.
The design development is based on a qualitative research approach, including
an online survey and an expert interview with art therapist Thuli Wolf. The
results show that visual and symbolic means are experienced as particularly
accessible especially when language is overwhelmed or unavailable. In these
situations, the card system can help to name emotions, create closeness and
initiate communication processes.
The work is not intended as a therapeutic tool, but as a creative contribution to
more empathetic, visually supported communication in the context of mental
illness. It shows that design can not only convey information, but also create
emotional resonance and thus build bridges between the inner world and
interpersonal connection.