| Street Logos
When most people think of graffiti they probably think of neds spraying their gang’s tag or their ‘menshy’ on the walls of their local shops or in back alleys. Street Logos shows how graffiti can be so much more.
Street Logos is a book which is comprised mainly of photographs of graffiti by various artists around the world. Compiled by Tristan Manco, the book gives an insight into the motivation of graffiti artists, their own personal philosophies and what inspires them as well as the general ethos behind street art. More than just a collection of pictures however, this book shows that so much is possible, that graffiti needn’t be another hobby of the juvenile delinquent. These artists are transforming the derelict, the run-down and the mundane into art anyone can enjoy. Or hate. Or ignore. Surely that’s the point?
Some of the artists featured in this collection have an aim simply to make things look better. Transform a burned-out car into a piece of art. Turn a manky old skip into something beautiful. Other artists however, want to say something more. They have a message and they want to convey it through art. But what good is that if a gallery won’t exhibit it? If art can inspire people to change, to make change, why keep it imprisoned in a gallery? Why inspire the few, when you can inspire the many?
These questions are asked and answered in this book. By artists like Plug, Above, El Tinas and Flying Fortress to name but a few. If art is supposed to challenge people, it shouldn’t wait for people to come to them. Art has to take action, to challenge people as they’re walking down the street, getting on the train, waiting for the bus. At least, that’s what this book made me feel. What message you get might be different. Perhaps you’ll be inspired to just make things in your corner of the world look a little nicer, or maybe you’ll just notice those interesting little designs on the back alley walls in town.
Whatever this book makes you feel, it’s definitely worth checking out, not just for graffiti artists but anyone who is interested in art or just making a change. Street art is free and it’s coming soon to the side of a building near you.
Street Logos is published by Thames and Hudson.
[Editor’s note: This was submitted as a book review, but since the book’s good and old, it’s been dropped into a ‘normal’ forum, rather than being published to the front page.] | 
