Also, it takes a more artistic eye to sort out the more ‘illusion’ style ambigrams that, namely, Scott Kim produces. While good for puzzles and certain look-at-this-omg moments, I think it’s just too difficult for mass consumption. (BTW, check out ted.com for a demonstration by him that includes several ambigrams)

I’ve seen Mark Palmer draw ambigrams in an atypical styling before, but it’s very rare. Most people would rather have the readability.

Maybe once ambigrams and the sort become more and more popular, experimentation will breed new, commercially viable styles.

– Nate

Nate,
Thanks for your thoughts and I’m sure you’re right. I just wonder why certain styles become commercially viable in the first place? How did the relationship between medievalism, calligraphy and tattoing arise in the first place, for example, and why did ambigrams in particular become so popular in that now very homogeneous style? I’m just interested in the historical aspect of design traditions, I guess. If I were to get a tattoo myself, I’d instinctively go for something in an atypical rather than typical style, but you don’t see that a lot in tattoos, which I guess are more about group behaviour? Now I want to do a post on atypical tattoos.
PS I agree, the John Maeda ambigram by Scott Kim is fantastic.

Paul,
The abalone logo is very clever – it took me a while to figure it out. And yes, the O uno or zero one was strangely appealing. My father was a mathematician, which may or may not explain my interest in things no one but five people, including you, will ever pick up on. Thanks again for spawning this post in the first place.
Lindsay

The other styles seem to be less commercially viable… at least most of the time.

I’m a personal fan of the John Maeda design by Scott Kim though.

– Nate of Wow Tattoos
Ambigram Tattoo Designs by Mark Palmer

Thinking again of ouno as “0 uno” or “zero one” I am reminded of a multi-award winning board game called “abalone”. The “abalone” logo is an ambigram of a peculiar sort that alludes to the fact that you can move lines of 3 or 2 or just one piece at a time…