Ambigram: A typographical design that can be read from at least two viewpoints. From the Latin/Greek roots ambi- ("both") and -gram ("written or drawn").
Ambigram types include inversions, mirror images, chains (linked to infinite repetitions of the word), and symbiotgrams (composed of two words, one viewed from one vantage point and the other from a second). The logo depicted here, for the Latin American radio network EXA FM, is an inversion ambigram: it reads identically when rotated 180 degrees. (The design blog Brand New, in comparing this logo to its predecessor, declared the redesign "exa-llent.")
Ambigrams are "the hottest trend in typography since Helvetica," Wired magazine said in its April 2009 puzzle issue. Read the article to see 11 examples of unusually clever or cryptic ambigrams. And check out the work of artist and graphic designer John Langdon, who created the ambigrams seen in Angels & Demons and The DaVinci Code. Langdon and Scott Kim, whose work is featured in the Wired article, independently rediscovered ambigrams about 35 years ago. The first ambigrams, by children's book author Peter Newell, were published in a 1893 book, Topsys & Turvys.
The paper company xpedx reads the same forwards, backwards, and upside down.
Posted by: Aaron Templer | July 21, 2009 at 06:40 AM
In 'Metamagical Themas', Douglas Hofstadter reports that a friend of his gave ambigrams their name - though it may also have arisen elsewhere independently. He writes that ambigrammatic art brings out in a vivid way "the strange fluidity of letterforms".
As a child I used to create them, among other letter-based games and tricks, without knowing their name at the time. I also drew faces that were also faces upside down, but I don't know if there is a specific word for this!
Posted by: Stan | July 22, 2009 at 06:38 AM
Another great example is "The Princess Bride" (20th Anniversary Edition)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000TJBNHG/imdb-button/
Posted by: Andrew | July 22, 2009 at 12:43 PM
We were mentioned in that Wired issue! It helped bring lots of exposure to the ambigram realm.
Mark Palmer is the sole ambigram artist at our site, with thousands and thousands of hand drawn ambigram artwork. We have an ambigram generator as well, that uses Mark's artwork to try and piece an ambigram together.
Thanks for posting about it!
- Nate of Wow Tattoos
Ambigram Tattoo Designs by Mark Palmer
Posted by: Nate of Wow Tattoos | January 05, 2010 at 01:43 AM