Poster as a means of propaganda in U.S.A. in World War II

Graphic design is one of the design fields which evolved from human beings? will to communicate in prehistoric times to present day and blended in its own artistic structure and technical culture. The design of poster is the most economic and aesthetic way of conveying an information or a message on materials such as paper by using various printing techniques. Undoubtedly, as in other plastic art branches, the aim of a poster design is to maximize the communication effect by combining aesthetics and visuality.A poster can be seen by numerous people both inside and outside; furthermore, its production and distribution costs are lower compared to other visual media. Therefore, institutions, associations and political parties prefer conveying their message via posters. Designed to attract public attention on a specific issue and to create a change in attitudes and habits by raising awareness, propaganda posters have always been indispensable means of communication for institutions and individuals.This study aims to contribute to the literature by presenting the importance of posters in communication between individuals and populace, their power to affect crowds? opinions, behaviours and attitudes and also by revealing the advantages of posters compared to other means of communication. The aim of this study is to analyse the visual content of posters, which are extensively used with the aim of propaganda, and to examine the way they reach their goals with examples. Posters which are analysed in this study are the ones that were used for propaganda purposes in the World War II. First part of the second part of the study, graphic design, one of the fields of design, and graphic concept are emphasized. Cultural posters, posters that contain a social message, and publicity posters, are discussed. Second part of the research, communication is dealt with. Communication items and types of communication are studied in this part. In the communication part, the subjects of visual communication and mass media, to which posters are connected conceptually, are mentioned. In the third title, the history, definition and types of propaganda are discussed. Based on the conclusions of previous researches, it is observed that propaganda posters have various tactics in terms of target and content. The reason for focusing on the propaganda posters is to emphasize how important the poster is for visual communication and to display how great its influence area is. In the fourth part of the study, the reason why the USA entered the World War II and status of United States home front during World War II. In the fifth part, how the visual elements were used in the messages during the period mentioned in the title of the thesis, the main topic of this study, is analysed. It is thought that this study will help the value of the posters examined in this section in terms of plastic arts and the place of poster design in visual arts to be appreciated better. Key Words: Graphic Design, Poster, Propaganda, Propaganda Posters