An increasingly popular motif in tattoo parlours is the ambigram -- a graphic figure that can be flipped, mirrored or inverted, yet whichever way the script or the figure is viewed, it still spells out the same thing. It is sometimes referred to as an "inversion" or "flipscript", but regardless of the description, most people appreciate it as an optical illusion. The shifting positive and negative spaces can play tricks on our visual perception, casting a spell on the beholder.
For tattoo aficionados, there's a dictionary of ambigram designs to choose from, and a great range of scripts and fonts, from simply elegant to graphically gothic. A design may consist of a single word or an entire phrase. Depending on the ambigram's concept, it can be rotated, reversed, or reflected in mirrors, with the meaning sometimes changing, sometimes remaining the same. Looked at one way, you might see a devil, but turn it around and an angel appears, or at least the way the figure is spelled! The best tattoo artists can create an optical illusion with an intriguing graphic design that never fails to intrigue.
A natural ambigram is a word that possesses one or more of the above symmetries when written in its natural state, requiring no typographic styling. For example, the words "dollop" and "suns" are natural rotational ambigrams. The word "bud" forms a natural mirror ambigram when reflected over a vertical axis. The words "CHOICE" and "OXIDE", in all capitals, form a natural mirror ambigram when reflected over a horizontal axis. The word "TOOTH", in all capitals, forms a natural mirror ambigram when its letters are stacked vertically and reflected over a vertical axis.
Below you will find a gallery of inspirational images that will help you in your quest of creating the perfect Ambigram tattoo.
Also Check out: Monograms, Ambigrams, Scripts & Scrolls, Numbers.
