¿The idea of style and competing for the best style is
the key to all forms of rockin¿.¿ ¿ Style Wars, 1983.
Are subcultures, like graffiti, floating free in their own
space, or are they connected to the rest of society? In
Forms of Rockin¿, graffiti styles are connected to graphic
design and other popular culture expressions such as music,
fashion, photography, industrial design and movies
for the first time. Anssi Arte analyses some of the most
powerful visual symbols of the 1970s, 80s and 90s and
compares design, typography and graffiti styles. The visual
styles of James Brown, Blade Runner, the Memphis group
and grunge music all appear together with classic fonts
and graffiti styles. The clear yet analytical narrative and
carefully crafted visualizations make it appealing to both
graphic design aficionados as well as graffiti enthusiasts.
But Forms of Rockin¿ is more than that. This is a must for
everybody interested in contemporary popular culture
and design history.
Forms of Rockin¿ traces and defines the stylistic conventions
in graffiti letterforms that have become iconic and
globally acknowledged ideals. From the early New York
tags to the mid-1990s ugly-fresh styles of Scandinavia,
Forms of Rockin¿ tells the story of how popular culture
and graffiti styles influences each other.