Books focusing on graffiti- primary research

To discover what books are already on the market for people interested in urban graffiti I decided to conduct some primary research. This in turn giving me a stance upon where my book will lie within the current market. This may also give me the opportunity to think of ways in which my design could stand apart from the other designs.

Street Fonts

This book explores street art in an alphabetical format, with the author, claudia developing alphabets from that of tags. In turn developing 150 original alphabetical pieces.

The book is informative and clear, with the original artist's name and intentions being inscripted upon each page. This in turn allowing the design to be seen as a piece of academic writing, as non-bias judgement is also made upon each piece.

The book contains multiple styles of street art, a factor in which allows the book to appear diverse. This is also presented in the ever changing format of the book, although a key grid system is used.

The cover is perfect bound, a binding method in which creates a clean finish. This also allows the book to appear professional, a factor in which is important when selling a book with a price cost above £20.

The amount of text present upon each page is minimal, with imagery being the main influence. This allows the design to appear less daunting, and rather a quick informative read.

The alphabets themselves have been developed using CAD, a factor in which allows them to be actually usable. If I were to make judgment upon this book I would suggest that both a CAD and hand rendered approach should be present in order to highlight the main context of the book.

So who is the target audience?

As graffiti is socially acknowledged I would suggest that this book would appeal to a wide range of individuals, although the typographic aspect would suggest a more niche audience of graphic designers.

When thinking about an age range I would suggest that this book would be targeted at 18-50. A broad target audience primarily due to its approachability.




I would also like to make comment that individuals under the age of 18 may not find this relevant, as graphic designers do not specifically start looking at typography until they are at university level. Although the basic's are usually covered at college level.

I believe this book appeals so widely due to the fast nature and cleanliness of the design. The context is also very analytical a factor that both a younger and older audience would enjoy.

London Street Art Anthology

Exploring a picture book format, this book contains photographic imagery by the renowned photographer Alex MacNaughton. Focusing specifically upon  London's street art, a range of mediums have been recorded, from that of murals to stickers.

The book itself contains very little text, with only the location of each pieces whereabouts being recorded. A factor in which allows the beautifully coloured images to take centre stage of the books design.

Again similar to previous books of this style, it has been perfect bound, a factor in which exhibits professionalism.

The layout of the book is image heavy, with a range of images being composed together in order to form pages in which express a large visual impact. As a juxtaposition to this, some other pages have been left to contain only one image. A factor in which allows specific details to be examined thoroughly.

A black background as also been used in order to express more visually impactive images.

 So who is the target market?

Well as this book is primarily that of a coffee table book I would suggest that it has been developed for that of an older audience. This is a prominent idea, as it suggests that older people are more likely to be house proud and want to express their own intelligence through there homes furnishings. Therefore I would suggest that the primary audience for this book is that of 30-60 years.

Berlin Street Art

A small photographic book in which explores street art within Berlin. Primarily focusing upon aesthetic this book explores political and social issues through the medium of graffiti.

Pocket size this book is easy to flick through and may give inspiration to design. When thinking about the self teaching nature of young people I believe that this book has no real stance for this market, and thus would be bought by an older person interested in graffiti.

The book's aesthetic appears grimy and follows a cool colour palette, a factor in which allows the social issues to appear highly prominent, and gives a feeling of poverty. This has also been portrayed within the editing of the imagery.

Overall I believe this book is targeted at 35-50 year olds who are interested within the arts.

The Art Of Rebellion 

Focusing upon social, environmental, cultural and economic issues this book explores art as a form of activism, focusing specifically around street art. The publication focusing upon street art around the world, exploring both famous and up and coming graffiti artists. A section of the book also focuses upon collaboration, a factor in which I found to be highly inspiring and innovative.

A basic grid system is used in order for multiple compositions to be explored. This in turn creating an eyecatching, fun approach to book design.

Text is also paragraphed frequently, a factor in which I believe targets a younger audience specifically, as they only have an eight second attention span.

 On some pages minimal text was used in order to showcase the imagery, a factor in which is highly effective, but may not work in my context as my book is contextually heavy.

When thinking specifically at target audience I believe that this design has a wide appeal and would target creative individuals 18-60. Although the upper brand may believe that graffiti is a crime rather than art form.