Parsons School of Design
BFA Communication Design
Thesis 2023

Parsons School of Design
BFA Communication Design
Thesis 2023

Speaking Body
WenHsin Tzeng

Our body is an integral part of communication that adds a level of expression to our verbal language. When people talk, however, we often overlook their body movements and facial expressions that happen. To emphasize this dynamic interplay between the two, Speaking Body is a publication that explores the role of body language to challenge readers to look at speech and body movements together and discover the impact of nonverbal language.

The role of body language is most evident in comedy performances. While most people might think of comedy as being all about words and jokes, Speaking Body highlights the importance of physical gestures and facial expressions in creating an engaging and effective comedic performance. Comedians use their bodies to convey meaning and add depth to their performances. It also helps establish a rapport with their audience, creating a connection that is essential for a successful performance.

Recorded body movements are categorized as either Emblems or Illustrators. Emblems are gestures that have a direct translation into words, while Illustrators accompany or reinforce verbal messages. For example, pointing one finger out to represent the number “one” is an Emblem, whereas Illustrators are more subtle and typically added to emphasize speech.

The study of body language in comedy is crucial in understanding the nuances of effective communication, as comedians utilize nonverbal cues to enhance their performances and convey their comedic persona. This publication draws attention to how body language can be used to translate speech and express emotions effectively.

Fatima AlJaber

Ghada Alkhaznadar

Jenni Ang

Natalia Arteaga

Jewel Baek

Danielle Berger

Morgan Boals

Celeste Bohan

Marie-Pia Bonnot

Reece Brind'Amour

Mina Caglar

Yuqin Cai

Ashley Yeo Hye Chae

Joyce Chan

Beryl Chen

Jiahui (Georgia) Chen

Ari Cho

Ella Christensen

Abel Chua

Zoe Cui

Whitley Darby

Tasha Dezelsky

Nitya Dhingra

Liam Doyle

Tyler Dunn

Kashish Dusad

Jonga Fan

Siyao Fang

Elaine Fei

Boyang Feng

Ashley Fletcher

Alisa Gannota

Maggie Gibson

Mia Gilling

Arlo Goldman

Pablo González

Dhriti Goyal

Blythe Graziano

Abbey Gregory

Jonna Grigelevich

Min Guan

Mira Guo

Juri Han

Oluschi Harmon

Lara Hemels

Julia Herceg

Yuk Hei Ho

Min Heong Hong

Hugo Hsi

Jiayi (Jialin) Huang

June Huang

Stella Huang

Yerin Hur

Hannah Hwang

Michelle Jeong

Jiayi Jin

Christine Joo

Marion Jun

Jong Hee Jung

Yuka Kamata

Juyeon Kang

Irem Kaplan

Ani Kapreilian

Natalie Kendrick

Eddie Kim

Michelle Kim

Se Won Kim

Sejung Kim

Sharon Kim

Shinyoung Kim

Yousun Kim

Marika Kleinfeldt

Alexander Lavertue

Emily Lee

Gia Lee

Gina Lee

June Lee

Rachel Lee

Sia Lee

Ayline Le Sourd

Chang Li

Chenxu Li

Yiwei Li

Michael Lim

Feng-yi (Cassie) Lin

Joyce Lin

Emily Liu

Lan Liu

Ruoxuan (Hedy) Liu

Selina Liu

Lissette Lomeli

Citra Luna Martha

Elan Ma

Sydney Maggin

Nadia Makmur

Sophia Marret

Hunter Marrs

Dhruvi Mehta

Lily Meng

Annie Mildrew

Katherine Musgrave

Michelle Napolitano

Madhvik Nemani

Su Jin Oh

Lexi O’Neill

Si Ran Pang

Christopher Panicker

Jaskirat Panjrath

Rachel Park

YeoJin Park

Annabelle Press

Anaïs Pyrczak

Xinyu Qiao

Diva Rathore

Jillian Rees

Hanna Reichler

Agathe Renou

Lourdes Salazar Castillo

Aoi Sejima

Zoyah Shah

Waver Shan

Nahui Shon

Yixing Shou

Xier Song

Malavika Srinivasan

Zoë Stapel

Shaina Suri

Isabelle Tan

WenHsin Tzeng

Zoe Ueda

Maya Valencia

Noa Villarin

Deanna Wang

Hsiang Tzu (Sandy) Wang

Michelle Wang

Tingyue Wang

Wenyi Wang

Zi Wang

Leon Wong

Qiqi Wu

Saskia Wulandiarti

Grace Xin

Rui Xiong

Katherine Xu

Moxin Xu

Hyein Yang

Val Yang

Emily Yoon

Rongzhen Yuan

Kaitlyn Zhang

Kexuan Zhang

Peki Zhang

Yuzhou Zhang

Xuru Zhao

Kore Zhong

Aria Zhou