Logo inspiration: street art

Looking for fresh and unconventional design inspiration? Check out the nearest spray-painted “exhibition” in your neighborhood to get that inspirational OOMPH you’re looking for.

Graffiti’s influence on design is becoming more prominent today as designers are moving it from the street to the graphic world.

Trend-setting folks are finding this powerful style emotion-evoking and refreshing. And this is exactly what designer and client are looking to achieve with a design — to express a message, evoke an emotion and intrigue its imaginative viewers.

Want an illustration? Check out a few of the designs below…

Up first is an example of 3 dimensional effects, a theme found in both street art and graphic design. The 3D style of Banksy in the image on the left is adapted and vectorized by street artist T-Rex in the image on the right. Both are as visually appealing as they are striking.

A common theme found in graffiti pieces is cryptic font — characterized by interlocking and stylized letters and connecting points. Check out how record company Hypodermic Records mimics the barely comprehensible, yet eye popping lettering of the image on the left in one of their former logos shown in the image on the right. Its edge is untouchable by standard logo fonts, wouldn’t you agree?

The use of sharp geometric shapes and architectural elements that POP is another noteworthy characteristic of graffiti art. The image on the left shows a piece by street artist DAIM, that incorporates both 3D effects and sleek arrow images that engage viewers and “suck them into an image….” Check out this similar style in the Adobe logo on the right.

Graffiti’s display of brilliant colors is just one more trait that makes these pieces aesthetically mouth-watering. Graffiti artists tend to mix vibrant hues to create a jaw dropping piece that’s sure to strike the attention of any bypasser. Just look at street artist Stinkfish’s mural “ninia Kukul” on display in Bogota, Columbia. Not a bad use of purples and oranges, huh? NBC’s logo on the right creates a similar effect with its rainbow-y peacock icon.

All in all, street art remains an accessible resource for any designer who’s looking for some bold and lively design spunk. Next time you’re strolling past a freeway arch marked in graffiti, stop and smell the street art… it’ll only take you a second!

And if you have any inspiring examples of street art, leave them in the comments below — a legalized forum for graffiti groupies.