Journal of Medeniyet Art

Abstract

Poster design, which is one of the critical fields of study of graphic arts, stands out with its ability to convey the message about a concept or event to the audience in the fastest and most impressive way. Posters are also preferred as a communication tool to raise awareness on social issues, and nowadays, they are often preferred to fulfill the task of raising awareness and informing with an aesthetic concern. At this point, designers have an essential role in raising awareness and promoting social change with their designs. To reach more people, poster designs are made for many cultural and social topics, and activities related to the problems are carried out. In recent years, it is seen that the activities carried out to raise awareness in societies about violence and to prevent violence have come to the fore. Bolu International Poster Design Competition, which is also the subject of the study, can be given as an example of these activities. Bolu International Poster Design Competition has been organized regularly by Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University within the Bolu International Art Hall (BIAH) since 2020. The theme of the third competition, discussed in this study and held in 2022, was determined as violence, and many sub-themes were selected. This study aims to reveal how the concept of violence is handled by graphic designers with data. In the study, 303 poster designs that passed the pre-selection because of voting among 3041 posters by 24 jury members from 12 countries were examined, and the designs were categorized and analyzed by relating them to the themes. This study aimed to investigate how designers handle the perception of "violence" in their designs. The designs were examined with the descriptive scanning method in the context of variables such as country, profession, age group and usage status of design elements. Accordingly, results and predictions were shared on subjects such as which country made the most submissions to the competition, the average age, the color, and content density used in the designs. It is thought that this study will contribute to the field by evaluating the sub-theme and interpretation of the concept of violence by graphic designers living in different geographies within the framework of international design activity.