The Shapes of Water. Visual Communication Strategies for Water Emergency Management presents a didactic and practice-based exploration of how visual communication can support crisis and risk communication around water-related emergencies. Developed within the educational context of the course in Visual Design of the BA in Design of the University of Palermo, the project investigated the communicative and perceptual dimensions of water emergency through an interdisciplinary methodology combining visual communication design, information design, and videography. Students translated research on water scarcity, flooding, pollution, and territorial vulnerability into a coordinated body of visual outputs aimed at making complex environmental risks more accessible and emotionally resonant. The process culminated in The Shapes of Water, a final exhibition presented in 2025 within a dedicated section of the Venice Biennale, bringing together diverse artefacts and media into a shared narrative on water as both a vital resource and a site of crisis. The contribution reflects on the value of design education as a space for experimenting with communication strategies that foster awareness and civic engagement in the face of environmental emergencies.