Ambigram Tattoo Designs

Ambigram tattoos are highly designed tattoos that do not in themselves mean something specific but are just a typographic style. The meaning is given through what words or symbols each person chooses to use. Ambigram tattoos are popular because you can present a unique idea through a common tattoo theme.

A frequently used ambigram form is what is called rotational style, which displays identical words that can be read right side up and upside down. Asymmetric rotational ambigram (also known as a symbiotogram) includes two different words that look similar from one angle and change to completely different words from the opposite angle. Symbiotograms express duality and are popular with people who relate to this concept. Often opposing words are linked like ‘angel’ and ‘devil,’ or ‘love’ and ‘hate’.

Another style called perceptual shift, calls for a complete change in view as opposed to just a change in orientation like the rotational style. For example, the word can change according to distance from the tattoo. The reflected (or mirror-image) ambigram style presents yet another unique illusion where the word is the same backwards and forwards and is therefore readable reflected in a mirror.

Words are the most common element in ambigram tattoos, however symbols such as eyes, flowers and tribal patterns are also used. Although seldom used alone, these symbols can create interesting borders for chosen words or important numbers. Symbols alone can be presented in 3-dimensions where the image changes as the view does.

The chain ambigram, which interlinks words and causes them to repeat, makes especially great armband tattoos. You can create a chain around your wrist or arm using any word or phrase you want. Other options for armbands are fractal or figure-ground ambigrams.

An ambigram, by definition, is a changeable image that is the same anyway you look at it. Because of this, ambigrams can be a profound symbol for the person wearing it.

In the last five years there has been an influx in ambigram style tattoos. In the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and many other countries, tattoo shops are displaying books of ambigram artist Mark Palmer of Wow Tattoos. Famous people with ambigram tattoos include: Toryn Green, lead vocalist of Fuel (angel/devil and saint/sinner on his arms); LeVar Burton of Star Trek and Reading Rainbow (LeVar/Kunta on his upper right arm); Eva Longoria of T.V.’s Desperate Housewives (nine on her left shoulder); rap artist, Method Man (life/death on his arm); and Bryan Hopkins, lead vocalist of Paperback Hero (breathe/music on his left arm, Rock N’ Roll on his right arm, and an ambigram of a karma circle on his left upper arm). Perhaps it is both the dualist nature of the ambigram tattoo and the fact that it is so attention-grabbing that has made it become very popular among many rockstars, artists and actors.