Introduction: The history of movie posters in Iran predates the development of Iranian cinema itself. With the introduction of modern theater during the Naseri period, theatrical advertising gradually emerged and continued to develop until the end of the Qajar era. In the early fourteenth century SH, the first theatrical advertisements were produced in Tabriz using lithographic and letterpress printing techniques. Like other printed materials of the period, these advertisements featured Nastaliq script and highly symmetrical compositions. Their decorative borders and frames were influenced by Western models. Over time, the use of photographs in advertisements increased. One of the earliest cinema advertisements appeared on Lalehzar Street in Tehran, inviting audiences to attend screenings at Faros Cinema. The visual limitations of early advertisements were largely determined by available printing technologies and the constraints of movable type. Consequently, images of actors were absent from the earliest movie posters, and emphasis was placed instead on the names of performers and film titles. Following the interruption of Iranian film production between 1317 and 1326 SH (1938–1947), film advertising continued to develop. During this period, Western models became an important source of inspiration for Iranian cinematic publicity. As Iranian cinema revived after 1327 SH, calligraphers and painters became increasingly involved in poster production, initially by adapting and redesigning the Persian titles of foreign film advertisements. During the 1330s SH, Armenian artists played a major role in shaping Iranian cinema graphics. The history of cinematic graphic design in this period is closely associated with figures such as George Gazarov, Misha Geragosian, and Hayek Ojaghian. Ojaghian entered the field of cinema advertising through the design of film banners and later became one of the most influential poster designers of his generation.
Purposes & Questions: This study aims to examine the work of Hayek Ojaghian and analyze the visual characteristics of his movie posters. It seeks to answer the following questions: What are the main visual features of Hayek Ojaghian’s movie posters? How do the human face and body function in his poster designs according to Gillian Dyer’s analytical framework?
Methods: This research is fundamental in nature and adopts a descriptive-analytical approach. Data were collected from written sources and reliable online archives. Twelve posters by Hayek Ojaghian were selected through purposive sampling and analyzed using Gillian Dyer’s method. The study combines quantitative content analysis with visual analysis in order to examine the representation of the human face and body in the selected posters.
Findings & Results: The findings indicate that Hayek Ojaghian was among the earliest prominent designers of Iranian cinema posters and banners. His works were primarily executed through painting and color illustration, with particular emphasis on the faces of actors. Facial and bodily representations are characterized by volumetric modeling, subtle shading, and the use of intermediate tonal values. Through asymmetrical compositions, Ojaghian created dynamic and visually engaging designs. His color palette is diverse, although warm colors predominate in most examples. The posters reveal a strong tendency toward narrative and descriptive representation. In many cases, a large image of the principal actor occupies the upper section of the composition, while smaller scenes depicting emotional, dramatic, or criminal events appear below. Although the arrangement of textual elements does not always follow a fixed compositional system, the design of the main title is generally more structured than that of comparable posters from the same period. Ojaghian frequently employed newspaper-inspired lettering in his title designs. His posters are among the earliest examples of Iranian cinema advertising to prominently display the names of actors and other production details. The analysis further demonstrates that Ojaghian’s posters were largely produced through straightforward painting and typographic techniques, with limited conceptual experimentation. Their overall composition was strongly influenced by American movie posters, particularly in the arrangement of portraits and visual hierarchy. While both male and female figures appear in the posters, the visual emphasis is predominantly male-oriented. The depicted characters serve an expressive function, with facial expressions and bodily gestures communicating the emotional tone and narrative direction of the film. Half-length portraits occur more frequently than head-only or full-length representations. Moreover, comparison of posters from the 1330s and 1340s SH indicates an increase in the number of depicted figures over time, reflecting changing trends in Iranian cinematic advertising and visual communication.