Impact of symbols on visual perception and relation of violence in visual communication design

While the production of visual symbols, of which the first traces can be found in cave paintings, were initially individual deeds with ontological concerns, nowadays they have gained an industrial dimension where mass media dominates the world. Visual communication design, especially advertising and propaganda, has reached a great power of impact in guiding the society and creating perceptions in the desired direction. The density of news and case files dealing with increasing incidents of violence in the society which are related to media content shaped the main starting point of this study. In this research titled "The Effect and Importance of Symbols on Visual Perception in Visual Communication Design", the link between the use of symbols in media content broadcasted by mass media and the perception styles and levels of influence on the audience was examined. In this study, the effects of symbols in visual media content on individual psychology were analyzed in a sociological, economic and cultural context, and the relationship between the use of symbols and violent incidents was questioned. This qualitative study, which was limited to popular TV series broadcasted in Turkey between 2017 and 2022, investigated the effect of these symbols on the visibility of criminal elements in the content of the production by examining from a semiotic perspective. Through analyzing the extent to which the symbols strengthen the tendency of the audience to violence; it is aimed to draw attention to their effects on today's increasing crime rate. The importance of this research lies in the interactions between the images spread by the mass media and the psychology of the audience. Within this context, the sensitivity of the audience to the symbol was examined by considering the symbols with strong and long-lasting effects together with the productions containing elements of violence; namely the effects on self-presentations, the transformation of the symbol into an industrial product, and the impacts that lead to negative behaviors on people and indirectly on society were investigated. With regard to the observations and scientific data, it has been observed that TV series and movies that broadcast in mass media containing elements of violence strengthen their power of influence through the use of symbols and transform violence into a permanent image in the unconscious mind of the audience. This situation can be explained as an incitement to violence, as well as affecting the self-presentation of the viewer who connects with the fictional character.