Visual communication constitutes a major part of interactions in today's world, and among them, "posters" as a key medium convey the message to the audience through the combination of images, visual elements, and text. In addition to conveying information, posters are able to evoke certain emotions and attitudes, in which signs and how they are used play a decisive role in this process. Theater posters, if not the first act, are an important prelude that, in addition to conveying basic theater information (title, time, actors, director, etc.), tells the audience what kind of theater they are going to see. Before the performance begins, the poster will be the audience's first encounter with the play, influencing the audience's perception, expectations, and experience. Theater is a popular and popular art form among people all over the world, an art through which social, cultural, religious, and national mythological issues can be conveyed to the audience, and the audience connects with the theater through the identification they have with the characters in the story. The audience's perception is achieved through the use of images, colors, and so on; in general, a good theater poster stimulates the audience's feelings and behavior, influencing their decision-making and decision-making to see the theater. The theater posters of Michel Batory, a contemporary graphic designer with modernist roots, use complex semiotic layers to force the audience into deep mental action. . It transforms him from a passive consumer of the message into a dynamic interpreter who is forced to engage in mental action to discover the ultimate meaning of the poster. His posters have a special place due to their intelligent use of signs, visual creativity, and semantic layers. He often creates images in his posters with a surrealist approach and the use of creative techniques such as de-familiarity and methods of photomontage and assemblage that force the viewer to reflect and ponder. To understand how these complex messages are conveyed, semiotic theory, especially that of Charles Sanders Peirce, is very useful and applicable. Peirce's theory examines the sign as a dynamic triad (sign, object, interpreter) and in the form of the famous tripartite divisions (figurative, indexical, symbolic). This theory, in contrast to Saussure's binary model, emphasizes the endless process of meaning-making (semiosis), which ultimately ties into his concept of pragmatism. Peirce's pragmatism is not just a philosophical school, but a method for clarifying the meaning of concepts through practical and observable consequences.

The main questions of the research are how the integration of signs in Batory's works transforms the audience from a passive receiver to a dynamic interpreter and producer of meaning, and what is the ultimate function and practical impact of these posters as an information tool in the field of visual communication? The present research is qualitative in nature and qualitative content analysis (descriptive-analytical). Also, the collection of research information and data was carried out in a library manner and visual samples were collected through the archive of the artist's works. In this way, theoretical sources related to semiotics, the philosophy of pragmatism, visual communication, and graphic design were collected and studied.

The main objective is to conduct an in-depth analysis of the signs and concepts in Michel Batory's theater posters using the theoretical framework of Peirce's semiotics in order to obtain the communicative function and practical impact of these works through a pragmatist approach. The statistical population was selected from among Michel Batory's posters, three of his theater posters that were displayed at the Théâtre National de Chaillot. The analysis method is based on the theoretical framework of Peirce's semiotics and with a pragmatist approach, so the data analysis is carried out in three main stages:

1. Analysis of semiotic structure: Each poster is examined as a visual text. Key visual elements (forms, colors, compositions, visual components) are identified and, using Peirce's threefold division (figurative, indexical, symbolic), the type of relationship of each component to its subject (object) is determined.

2. Analysis of the process of semiosis and signification: The process of meaning-making in each poster (unlimited semiosis) is examined and an attempt is made to determine the path of movement from the initial sign to the interpreter (Interpretant) and the way in which this interpreter is formed (immediate, dynamic, final).

3. Pragmatic Impact Analysis: Based on Peirce's pragmatic aspect, it is analyzed how the final interpreter (received by the audience) is transformed into a practical consequence (Action), a change in belief or implicit implication in the audience's mind. This section will explain the relationship between the complex visual integration and the audience's mental action to solve the visual puzzle and arrive at the final concept.

The research findings show that the complex and multi-layered sign structure in Batory's works is directly related to the pragmatic aspect of Peirce's theory; so that the final interpretation of the sign by the audience (interpreter) based on his previous and lived experiences is the main determinant of the behavioral and practical consequences resulting from exposure to the poster. The meaning of Michel Batory's posters lies in the interpretative effects they have on the audience. When we analyze the visual elements (color, form, symbol) we must see what intellectual or emotional result these elements create and what practical and cultural consequences these results have. By carefully analyzing the works of Michel Batory, an attempt is made to prove the direct relationship between the semiotic structure and the practical (pragmatic) consequence in the mind and action of the audience. The necessity of this research is the lack of research in the field of Peirce's semiotics and its practical impact in contemporary graphic works, especially in Michel Batory's posters.

In the field of semiotics, the book Introduction to Peirce's Visual Semiotics by Tony Jeppe, a part of which has been translated by Amir Ghorbanpour, is a comprehensive book on Peirce's ideas. In the field of art semiotics and also image semiotics; Art Semiotics by Mohammad Zamiran, Visual Semantic Symbolism by Hamidreza Shaeiri, and From Visual Signs to Text by Babak Ahmadi have discussed image semiotics. In the field of layered semiotics of images, Farzan Sojoodi has comprehensive discussions on semiotics in his collection of semiotics books, especially in applied semiotics. The book Graphic Semiotics by Jacques Bertin has discussed the basics of graphics and graphic signs and how they are made. The article Peirce's semiotics in the light of his philosophy, epistemology and attitude to pragmatism, which Amoli Razavifar and Hossein Ghaffari have addressed the subject of Peirce's semiotics with a pragmatism approach. Regarding the analysis of Michelle Batory's posters, Mohammad Khazaei and Erfaneh Esmaili have addressed the concept of familiarity in Michelle Batory's posters, and the manner and method of using familiarity in her posters. Gholamreza Azari and Zahra Zhiani have examined the effect of posters on attracting theater audiences. Dennis McQuail's book Audience Studies, translated by Mehdi Montazer Ghaem, has addressed the position of the audience in theory and research, audience classification, and the audience's relationship with the media and society. Therefore, the studies that have been conducted in the field of Peirce's semiotics have mostly focused on photographic works, paintings, and films, and no specific and independent study has been conducted on the semiotics of posters, especially Michel Batory's posters, based on Peirce's views.