“Amnesty International” is the title of a poster by Dariush Allahyari, inspired by the “Amnesty International” logo, and was selected as one of the winning entries at the Postterrorism Competition (2019) in South Korea. Given the growing necessity of understanding the processes of meaning production and their representation in contemporary Iranian graphic design through modern theoretical approaches, the present study aims to interpret the work mentioned above through the lens of Gerard Genette’s theory of hypertextuality. According to the theory of intertextuality, texts are formed based on prior texts, or hypotexts. Among the contemporary developments of intertextuality is transnarrativity, introduced by Gerard Genette, which consists of five types. One of these is hypertextuality, which examines the relationship between a hypotext and hypertext based on derivation. Accordingly, intertextuality, along with hypertextuality, provides an appropriate approach for analyzing the processes of meaning-making and signification in works of art. This includes types of posters, which, due to their visual nature, are formed through the co-presence or derivation of multiple texts.
The present qualitative study, conducted using a descriptive-analytical method, seeks to answer the following questions: 1. What semiotic systems have undergone imitation or transformation in the process of the “Amnesty International” poster’s derivation from its hypotext, and in what manner? 2. What explicit and implicit meanings, whether consistent or contradictory with the “Amnesty International” logo, are present in this work?
The analysis of the poster’s communicative systems reveals that the “Amnesty International” poster maintains a clear and explicit hypertextual relationship with its hypotext, the “Amnesty International” logo. The elements of the hypotext are visibly retained in the hypertext, and the “Amnesty International” sign remains fully recognizable to the viewer. Because the hypertext derives from a single hypotext, its hypertextuality is exclusive in type. The “Amnesty International” sign, as a logo, serves the purposes of promotion, identification, and representation of the organization’s identity; however, Allahyari has redesigned it within the framework of a poster. Thus, the relationship between the two is not intrasemiotic, but rather intersemiotic or interdisciplinary. Moreover, these two works also exhibit intercultural relations, as they stem from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. There is no significant temporal distance between the hypotext and the hypertext, as both belong to the contemporary period; therefore, the relationship between the two can be regarded as horizontal or synchronic. The data analysis demonstrates that the color system in the poster underwent a quantitative enhancing transformation, while the writing system experienced a reductive transformation compared to the hypotext. The changes in the visual system took the form of transformational displacement in the barbed wire and the candle, and a reductive transformation in the flame. The mirroring, the depiction of the dollar sign, and the extinguished candle convey implicit meanings such as the revelation of hidden financial relations, self-interest, and the organization’s inefficiency. Therefore, in analyzing the “Amnesty International” poster, we ultimately observe a transformational relationship combined with a satirical function. From the intersection of this relationship and function, a travestissement mode emerges, aiming to humiliate and subvert the hypotext. The analysis of the narrative elements in this work reveals a transmotivation of the heteromotivation type. The external motivations in the hypotext, specifically humanitarian assistance to political prisoners worldwide, have been replaced in the hypertext by internal motivations driven by personal and financial gain. Another qualitative transformation in the hypertext is a transvaluation of the devaluation type. The light, brightness, and symbolism of hope embodied by the candle, which in the hypotext carries a positive value, become extinguished in the hypertext due to the organization’s loss of functionality and effectiveness, thereby completely losing their original value. Likewise, a hypotext that conveys a narrative of outcry and heroism undergoes a tragic transformation in the hypertext, where the hero is turned into a negative figure; a process known as transheroization. The stable narrative present in the hypotext also undergoes a transtemporal transformation in the hypertext through the depiction of successive changes.
Overall, although this work maintains a metatextual relationship with its hypotext and shows elements of imitation in certain parts, such as the textual sign and the primary logo placed at the top, this imitation serves to reinforce the critical function and convey the overarching message of the piece. This strong critique may appear subtle and latent at first glance, much like the inverted and extinguished candle depicted in the image. Therefore, this poster was not created to showcase a redesigned version of  “Amnesty International” logo in two successive stages aligned with typical redesign objectives, but rather to portray the decline of the organization’s motivation and performance, and consequently, the erosion of its values from the past to the present (the time of the artwork’s creation).