De-Sign: The Semiotics of Emotion 
Thesis Project

De-Sign was my senior thesis, an exploration of how we can express our emotions through the creation of pictograms. As pictograms are primarily designed to visualize the physical, De-sign was tasked with visualizing the abstract.

Since human emotion is too complex to be defined by a single image, I tasked the public to create their interpretation of the same emotions by using the most common symbols as defined by Henry Dreyfuss's, Symbol Sourcebook.
 De-Sign: The Semiotics of Emotion 
Thesis Project

De-Sign was my senior thesis, an exploration of how we can express our emotions through the creation of pictograms. As pictograms are primarily designed to visualize the physical, De-sign was tasked with visualizing the abstract.

Since human emotion is too complex to be defined by a single image, I tasked the public to create their interpretation of the same emotions by using the most common symbols as defined by Henry Dreyfuss's, Symbol Sourcebook.
These symbols were interpreted from Drefuss's original 16 Key Forms, consolidated to these ten.
 The Method 
I created an interactive activity where participants were given a random worksheet with an emotion, it's general definition, and an area where the participant can share a personal story of when they have felt that emotion. The participant was then asked to meditate on that memory and create a symbol (using as many of the provided shapes as needed) to represent that emotion.

A booth was set up during San José State University's Multicultural Fair, where participants were asked to think on their feelings about living in the city of San José.
The Results:
I collected 43 results from the single session in San José. Participants shared stories ranging from the joy of spending time with family, to the fear of on-campus assault.

Below are the collected results. Click or tap on each image to read the story associated with each symbol.

You can access a copy of my thesis here:
Download PDF
 How Do You Feel Joy? 

“Seeing my cousin joking around with her mom and laughing.”

“I moved to San José almost a year ago and I am in awe with how much opportunities living in this area has granted me. I’m lucky enough to be starting an amazing internship this Summer. I’m so happy and thankful to SJSU and people I’ve met so far.”

“After studying for a long week, taking a test & getting an A.”

“My Mother lied to me about not getting me nothing for my birthday. But when my bday came up she went to the extreme and threw me a huge bday party.”

“Being able to share my culture with the SJSU community brings me joy.”

“I experience this daily from my club, friends, and school that encourages positivity no matter what day of the year.”

“I felt joy when I got an admit for San José State University graduate program.”

 How Do You Feel Anxiety? 

“My time at SJSU has been a rollercoaster of good times and bad. I’ve experienced anxiety when my financial and grant did not fall through. But through this I’ve got tougher.”

“Back in high school, I’d have to speak in front of the whole school. I felt anxious speaking in front of so many people. What if I stutter or mess up? It was nerve-wrecking.”

“As the leader of the student organization I have to confront, and take charge of situations that have unforeseen consequences. At the same time, while feeling uneasy, I aspire to inspire action so that others may feel safe.”

“Falling behind in school and getting disqualified and not knowing where to start.”

“I feel anxiety during the examinations and same goes for the results.”

“I don’t know if my parents are going to be here with me due to their status, and with our new president I don’t know what day I will get separated even though I’m 26 the thought of them being so far away makes me very anxious and depressed.”

“When I first came to SJSU I had an anxiety since I was entering a new space on campus.”

“Submission Deadline!”

“Work feels overwhelming this time of year. This is exacerbated by the pace of life in San José. When I feel anxious I can’t sleep well. Working on staying in the present!”

 How Do You Feel Hope? 

“Studying into the night and finally learning difficult concepts that you could not hold onto during class.”

“Getting a better grade than what I expected.”

“I am the only person in San José, and all my family is elsewhere. I have felt hope with new friends and new people that have shown me love. They gave me hope that no matter where you are you can find love.”

“When I saw that San José State was being so supportive of the immigrant community after the Trump Admin.”

“The moment I felt hope was after my Sophomore year. I received scholarships to help me pay for college. For the first time I felt free to choose and follow my passion. I am currently pursuing a degree in Aerospace Engineering. Getting help helped me hope for the future.”

“During the election last year I felt many bad emotions, but an emotion that shined through was hope. Hope that even as an undocumented person that I would find support.”

“I like it here, I feel Fresh.”

“I hope everything will be alright.”

 How Do You Feel Fear? 

“Facilitating a meeting with people I’ve never met before.”

“I think my story with fear is one when I found out the 2016 election results it’s fear of the future and the unknown, and that the choices of one group that doesn’t have the best rhetoric can affect our community greatly.”

“When I saw the movie Jaws. The Shark killing people scared me. I have a huge fear of sharks now.”

“I’ve experienced fear that first time I had to swim. I wasn’t sure if I knew how to, and with no life jackets around, I had to overcome fear and just try it.”

“Going home after work and a random guy chased me, threatened me, and cat-called me, Even though I was a block away from my home.”

“I witnessed a sexual assault at SJSU library and I was afraid go to classes or library alone.”

 How Do You Feel Excitement? 

“Excitement is an emotion I feel before a soccer game, I love soccer and it gives me the feeling of excitement. I also feel excitement when I’m with my friends.”

“When I spontaneously went to my first rave. I didn’t plan on going initially but taking this opportunity motivated me to be more open to new risks.”

“I was excited when I moved to San José to to begin my time at SJSU.”

“My first day at SJSU. I felt nervous being new here but at the same time excited for all the new opportunities.”

“I feel blessed and excited to meet new people and grow as a community.”

“Well, coming from another continent, I had a lot of excitement coming here.”

“My 1st day at SJSU I felt excitement for my future and independence.”

“When I graduated high school.”

 How Do You Feel Depression? 

“When I had surgery and felt like I couldn’t do anything. I felt hopeless.”

“I went through a emotional and psychologically abusive relationship my junior year of high school. After finally having the courage to end this emotion I felt alone for a moment.”

“In the Fall of 2015, I was new San José with no one to know. I was homesick and missed my family. I was depressed, but my studies helped me find friends and get out of my depression.”

“I felt depression once when I signed up for an equality for all March and Rally and I showed to City Hall and only 4 out 200 that RSVP’d showed up.”

“It’s hard to explain in words because it’s different for everyone and for me, the feeling of depression came when I began to compare myself to those around me. I feel insignificant, like I was just a piece of dust in the air.”

Concept & Design:
 Josue Cruz