Ah, I see. Our definitions do indeed vary.
In design, communication is getting a 'message' from origin to reciever through 'channels'. That message can be anything, from a literal message to emotion. For instance, logos are often described as having personalities or emotions. You have happy logos, serious logos, cheeky logos, friendly logos, cold logos. Emotions and feelings are communicated though elements much the same as art uses them, such as colour, line, form. These are usually instinctive to the viewer and you use them to get them to recieve a message in a particular way. There isn't really a clear distinction between informative and emotional with good graphic design, both tend to be used because it is the most effecient way of communicating a message, especially in forms of advertising and branding.