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 Rotational ambigram is a design that presents several instances of words when rotated through a fixed angle. This is usually 180 degrees, but rotational ambigrams of other angles exist, for example 90 or 45 degrees. The word spelled out from the alternative direction(s) is often the same, but may be a different word to the initially presented form. A simple example is the lower-case abbreviation for "Down", dn, which looks like the lower-case word up when rotated 180 degrees.
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.
