Rhode as a designed communication system

Rhode is an American skincare and makeup brand founded by model and influencer Hailey Bieber. The brand takes its name from its founder’s middle name (Rhode is her mother’s maiden name).

We chose this company because it feels especially close to our generation and to the way we experience brands today. Rhode is a brand that feels culturally relevant, contemporary and familiar to the digital environment we live in. What particularly intrigued us was its position at the intersection of beauty, design, fashion, and social media.

Rhode primarily speaks to beauty-conscious, digitally active consumers who value minimalist skincare, clean aesthetics, and easy everyday routines. The brand’s official messaging emphasizes products suitable for all skin types, while its strong social-media presence and direct audience engagement suggest a particularly strong appeal to social-media-native beauty consumers, including Gen Z audiences.

Rhode was launched in June 2022 by Hailey Rhode Bieber. The brand began with a small line of skincare essentials and quickly expanded into a broader beauty ecosystem. From the start, Rhode positioned itself around barrier-focused formulas, minimalist design, and a direct-to-consumer model, supported by social media and pop-up/event-based communication.

Communication theory helps us understand how messages are created, communicated, interpreted, and responded to. This is especially important in design, as communication is not limited to verbal communication alone: ​​visual form, layout, interface, imagery, and platform selection all shape brand perception. In this context, brands can be viewed as communication systems rather than simply products or visual identities. They construct meanings, shape audience perceptions, and build relationships through multiple channels simultaneously. Therefore, communication theory serves not only as an analytical tool but also as a practical foundation for design, helping to explain how visual and digital experiences influence attitudes, engagement, and brand loyalty.

Rhode is a prime example of how visual communication can function as a persuasive strategy. Visual elements don’t simply embellish the brand; they act as peripheral cues that immediately shape audience perception. Such cues are particularly effective when audiences make quick judgments based on visual appeal, trustworthiness, and emotional associations, rather than a detailed product evaluation.

The two theories chosen for this analysis complement each other. The first theory explains why the brand relies so heavily on visual cues, while the second is suitable for analyzing how the company builds two-way communication with its audience. Using these two approaches allows us to analyze not only Rhode’s visual impact on its audience, but also how it builds a sustainable community around the brand.

The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), developed by Richard Petty and John Cacioppo, explains that audiences are persuaded through two pathways/ The central route involves careful analysis of arguments and message content, while the peripheral route is based on external cues: visual devices, significant sources, emotional impact, and aesthetics. This is especially important for beauty brands, as visual style often works faster than text. ELM helps analyze visual hierarchy: what is noticed first, which elements inspire trust, and which details lead to purchase. In design, this is evident in the palette, typography, packaging, image composition, and even in the way Hailey Bieber’s image works. Viewers react to the style first, and only then to the product itself. For audiences who want a deeper understanding, the brand also provides a more rational level: FAQs, product descriptions, support, and more detailed pages.

Dialogic Theory of Public Relations, associated with Kent and Taylor, argues that organizations should build ethical relationships with publics through dialogue rather than one-way communication. The theory is based on five principles: mutuality, propinquity, empathy, risk, and commitment. According to dialogic theory, Rhode strives not only to communicate messages but also to maintain ongoing engagement with its audience. The brand utilizes multiple communication channels simultaneously: Instagram*, TikTok*, YouTube*, Pinterest, and its official website, which includes FAQ, Contact, and Events pages, and the support page invites users to email or DM the brand. This aligns with the idea of ​​reciprocity and engagement: the brand creates channels through which the audience can return, ask questions, and participate in the brand experience.

Rhode is a strong example of how visual communication can function as a persuasive strategy. The brand relies heavily on a minimalist aesthetic, soft neutral colors, clean compositions, and carefully controlled imagery. These visual choices do not simply decorate the brand; they work as peripheral cues that immediately shape audience perception. According to the Elaboration Likelihood Model, such cues are especially effective when audiences make fast judgments based on visual appeal, credibility, and emotional association rather than on detailed product evaluation. In Rhode’s case, the overall visual identity creates an impression of clarity, purity, and contemporary luxury, which strengthens the brand’s attractiveness before any rational analysis takes place.

While Rhode promotes ideas of simplicity, natural beauty, and authenticity, its visual communication also raises questions about representation. A significant portion of the brand’s imagery focuses on close-up shots of lips, skin, necks, and other body fragments, often presented through a highly aestheticized and sensual visual language. Although these images align with contemporary beauty marketing trends, they also contribute to constructing a specific ideal of femininity.

A key element of this persuasion strategy is the presence of Hailey Bieber as the founder and main visual representative of the brand. Her image functions as a credibility cue and a form of social authority, helping to transfer positive associations from the celebrity persona to the brand itself. At the same time, Rhode’s product imagery emphasizes texture, skin glow, and closeness, which makes the products feel desirable and aspirational. This combination of founder image, visual consistency, and polished product presentation allows Rhode to operate primarily through the peripheral route of persuasion, while still offering more detailed information for users who engage with the brand more deeply.

Another important aspect of Rhode’s communication strategy is the way the brand frames itself through repeated visual and verbal patterns. Across its communication channels, Rhode consistently presents beauty as intentional, minimal, clean, and effortless. This framing is not accidental: it guides how audiences are expected to interpret the brand and what values they associate with it. Rather than focusing on aggressive promotion or complex product claims, company positions itself through simplicity, restraint, and aesthetic consistency.

This framing also contributes to the construction of a particular model of femininity. Rhode rarely presents beauty as dramatic, excessive, or highly stylized. Instead, it associates femininity with softness, control, minimalism, and a polished sense of naturalness. The result is a brand image that feels aspirational but also highly curated. In design terms, Rhode demonstrates how framing functions as a tool for building coherence across platforms. A successful brand does not rely on isolated visuals, but on a stable system of repeated choices that guide interpretation over time.

From a communication perspective, framing is effective because it organizes interpretation. Audiences do not encounter isolated posts or product pages; they encounter a repeated narrative that positions Rhode within the broader idea of contemporary clean beauty and lifestyle branding. The brand’s visual language reinforces this frame through stable choices in color, composition, typography, and product styling. As a result, Rhode communicates not only what it sells, but also what kind of aesthetic and lifestyle it represents. This makes the brand especially suitable for analysis in a design context, where meaning is produced through repetition, consistency, and controlled visual identity.

Beyond visual persuasion, Rhode also builds communication through ongoing dialogue with its audience. Rhode’s communication strategy demonstrates that the brand understands audience relationship as an ongoing process. Social media content, event announcements, and support channels all contribute to a sense of openness and availability. The brand does not appear as a distant institution; instead, it presents itself as approachable and responsive.

This is especially important in digital branding, where users expect direct communication, transparency, and visible engagement. In this sense, Rhode’s communication is dialogic not only because it uses several channels, but because it creates conditions for exchange, repeated contact, and community formation. For example, the homepage of the official website demonstrates how Rhode uses visual simplicity as a persuasive strategy. The interface is intentionally minimal, featuring neutral colors, generous white space, and limited textual information. These design choices immediately communicate clarity, sophistication, and trustworthiness.

The use of user-generated content (UGC) is particularly important. Rhode regularly posts customer photos, demonstrates the results of product use, and engages the audience in discussions about new launches. These creators often share similar visual characteristics, including polished beauty imagery, minimalist styling, soft lighting, and highly curated content. As a result, influencer content blends seamlessly with the brand’s own communication, creating a consistent visual environment across platforms. This enables consumers to become not only recipients of messages but also participants in the communication process.

Rhode’s overall communication strategy is highly effective and is based on a combination of visual persuasion and dialogic interaction: the brand simultaneously sells not only the product but also its aesthetic world and a sense of closeness to its founder and community.

Through visual aesthetics, the brand creates emotional appeal and immediate recognition, which aligns with the peripheral route of persuasion in the ELM model. At the same time, Rhode maintains constant engagement with its audience through digital platforms, embodying the core principles of dialogic public relations theory.

A key element of Rhode’s communications is framing the brand as not just a cosmetics brand, but a lifestyle brand. Across all channels, the brand consistently communicates ideas of natural beauty, minimalism, and accessible luxury. This allows audiences to perceive Rhode not only as a product but also as a cultural symbol of contemporary beauty culture.

1. Strengthen the core persuasion pathway by creating more educational content about the 
ingredients and scientific basis of the products.

2. Increase the use of interactive communication formats: surveys, live broadcasts, Q&A sessions, and discussions with the audience.
3. Increase the amount of materials demonstrating real-world results from product use to complement the emotional impact with rational arguments.
4. Reduce communication’s reliance on the founder’s image by strengthening the brand’s expert positioning.
5. Present more diverse perspectives on beauty, including different age groups, body types, skin conditions, and personal experiences. This approach would meet modern expectations of inclusivity while maintaining the brand’s minimalist visual language.