Lettering Sketches for ‘Skills’ Magazine
Date
Credits
- Greg Lamarche Lettering Artist
Clients
Locations Made
- United States 714
- New York City 31
- New York 365
These sketches were drawn by graphic artist Greg Lamarche in 1992 as mastheads for Skills magazine, which highlighted and documented the art and lettering of graffiti during its three-year run. Lamarche's lettering, which utilizes dimensionality and dynamic lines, references the appearance of graffiti tags, which became a prominent art form in New York City and Philadelphia in the 70s before being propagated internationally.
As graffiti came into prominence as a burgeoning art form, NYC mayor John Lindsay declared a “war on graffiti." Many saw graffiti as vandalism and wanted it banned completely; however, graffiti persisted and evolved. As a type of design, graffiti is accessible and often spontaneous, which has allowed it to become a popular tool for personal expression for disadvantaged artists and those from lower classes.
Lamarche's sketches offer examples of the tagging style of graffiti, which is usually (but not always) characterized by large, bold, and fluid letterforms, bright colors, and interconnected lines.
Sources:
https://www.printedmatter.org/catalog/64185/
https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/skills/reading/b2-reading/history-graffiti
