Analysis of cultural posters in terms of visual communication design: national and international congress posters for Istanbul University

The aim of this research is to focus on the poster announcement as one of the most important means of communication transmitting the message to the masses, by analyzing the cultural posters in terms of visual communication design over national and international congress posters for Istanbul University. The first part of the study contains the definition of visual communication, design and application processes, the general description of poster and its general structure, the development of poster art and poster design, the importance of poster design in Turkey and in the world according to lately improvements. In the second part; the importance of congress poster designs, which have a critical place in the correct expression of the contents of the congresses which are national and international meetings, to arouse interest, to manage the graphic design processes well and to announce the activities, were mentioned. In the third section; Istanbul University congress poster designs were examined in the context of visual communication design and linguistic elements over three main evaluation axes, which include design concurrence, perception of design and content transfer of design. In the analysis and evaluation phase of the posters, analyzes were made considering the basic principles of design and Roland Barthes' models of semiotics. In line with the information obtained, a sample design study was conducted with the necessity of communication in social media environments. In the conclusion part of the research, some suggestions are made considered that they could provide solutions of design problems. Key Words: Visual Communication, Congress, Poster, Poster Consideration Criteria