Visualization of emotional experiences with Schizophrenia

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.