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Background
What are ambigrams? An
ambigram is a word
that can be read in more than one way or from more than a single
vantage point. From the Latin ambi meaning both and gram meaning
letter. Other terms for these include Inversions and Designatures.
The different types of ambigram Rotation
A word that when rotated (Usually by 180º) it reads the same or another, usually related, word.
Chain RotationSimilar to a rotation, where the word doesn't rotate onto itself exactly.
Reflection (Glass Door)A word written in such a way that if you were to look at it in a mirror it would read the same,
Totem ReflectionUsing the concept of reflection these words are read vertically similar to a totem pole.
SpinonymEach letter of a spinonym is created using the same shape, rotated or reflected.
Perceptual ShiftThese words require no rotation or reflection. They have two meanings depending on how you look at it.
My Inspiration My
first encounter with ambigrams came when reading Dan Brown's book,
Angels & Demons. The ambigrams in the book by John Langdon inspired
me to try and create ambigrams of my own. At first my ideas were basic
or very hard to read. It's taken a while but the designs on this
website are some of the best of the hundreds of ambigrams i've created.
For an extra bit of inspiration John Langdon's book 'Wordplay' and
Scott Kim's book 'Inversions' are fantastic for giving me new ideas.
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