Graffiti is just as good as any Logo!

This week, we are doing a project on the application of graffiti in modern works of art.

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TAKEN FROM WIKIPEDIA:

Graffiti is writing or drawings that have been scribbled, scratched, or sprayed illicitly on a wall or other surface in a public place. Graffiti ranges from simple written words to elaborate wall paintings, and it has existed since ancient times, with examples dating back to Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire.

In modern times, paint (particularly spray paint) and marker pens have become the most commonly used graffiti materials. In most countries, marking or painting property without the property owner's consent is considered defacement and vandalism, which is a punishable crime.

Graffiti may also express underlying social and political messages and a whole genre of artistic expression is based upon spray paint graffiti styles. Within hip hop culture, graffiti has evolved alongside hip hop music, b-boying, and other elements. Unrelated to hip-hop graffiti, gangs use their own form of graffiti to mark territory or to serve as an indicator of gang-related activities.

Controversies that surround graffiti continue to create disagreement amongst city officials, law enforcement, and writers who wish to display and appreciate work in public locations. There are many different types and styles of graffiti and it is a rapidly developing art form whose value is highly contested and reviled by many authorities while also subject to protection, sometimes within the same jurisdiction.

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Graffiti, long used to express ideas or creating messages, is now a form of art disgraced from the publics eyes as an illegal way to reference gangs and violence. That outside view of "bad" or gang related and no one thinks to talk about the true, original meanings behind graffiti.

• Social Satire

• A voice for the voiceless

• A message for the public

These are contributed to vandals and hoodlums, not political activists and people whose voice is crying out for a change!

How is that any different than this?

In a world blinded by material goods, sold to the highest bidder goes our sense of individualism, and with it goes our sense of humility. 

In my graphic design class of 23 students and one teacher, 6 of these students AND my teacher, bluntly contribute to the stereotype of graffiti and graffiti artists. Graffiti has been used to send a message to those who shun ad ignore the underrepresented minorities of cities and towns. 

Not to say that all graffiti is positive or has some hidden meaning, but neither do logos. Some logos don't go beyond one persons perspective, while graffiti is always changing.

Bad Logos

Bad Graffiti

But graffiti is more than just a person's idea, it's an unexpected collaboration of many peoples ideas.

And this direct effect on society is what makes graffiti just as good as any commercial logo.