Graffiti has indeed grown to an art of its own. It is not just the realm of mysterious artists in the night, it is now a genre, with its own sub genres and popular maestros. It is even a quite productive industry unto itself with some graffiti art being valued as tourist attractions and museum pieces. If you haven’t had the time to appreciate this unique kind of urban art form then you’re in luck. We have scoured the net to bring you the best graffiti designs shown online. A lot of them are eye catching, others are innovate, and a number of them are especially thought provoking and must never be missed.

3D Graffiti

Urban art of this type is drawn in such a way that they look like a full three dimensional Image. Artists usually integrate their subject with their “canvas” so that it looks like it is indeed part of the floor or wall. It is an interesting kind of graffiti since it literally gives you a third dimension making it seem like its part of real life. The picture below from Web Urbanist shows a “street artist” painting a “hole” in the street.

 

Interactive Graffiti

Besides the art itself, Graffiti also sells because of the interactivity involved. They are usually painted on streets and walls. So we are bound to move around them and walk past them. For graffiti artists, this is a chance to integrate actual people into their art. Interactive graffiti involves designs that compliment the real life location that they are one. One of the best and funniest examples we saw is the one below from dark roaster blend’s graffiti showcase.

 
Semi Realistic

Of course one of the best designs are the ones that imitate life in some kind of way. This semi realistic art form the “walls” of France is such an example. The photo realistic image of the woman’s face, with its beautiful lighting and shadow effects should tell it all. Its not just your typical gang graffiti, its urban art in its finest.

Below is another example of a semi-realistic graffiti, this time in England. The semi-realistic man is coupled by the “color of music” that seems to spill out from his stereo. A nice blend of realism and imagination.

 

Action Graffiti

Another novel concept when it comes to graffiti art is action graffiti. These are the ones that portray a certain action, often to a funny or interesting effect. This style of graffiti usually has some kind of statement or joke in its mind. Often times they might look semi-realistic as well. Below is one interesting sample we saw from banksy.co.uk

Also included in action graffiti is this very interesting one from new orleans. With the aftermath of Katrina some graffiti appeared displaying a few of the unfortunate things that happened including looting.

Light Graffiti

Now, this kind of graffiti can’t be seen until it is developed in a camera, but it is graffiti still when you think about it. Light graffiti is a special technique using cameras that have been set to capture images with a long exposure time. Using lights like flashlights and neon, artists can create beautiful works of art as the paths of those lights get exposed. The light graffiti below is a beautiful example of this.

 

Animated Light Graffiti

An improved upon version of light graffiti is its animated kind. Videos can also capture these images when set at an extended exposure rate. This you tube video of a commercial should show you how an animeted light graffiti should work.

 

Social/ Political Graffiti

Lastly, graffiti art is not just about the look of the design, it is also about its message. One of the best and finest graffiti art works are remembered not because of their beauty, but because of the message they are sending. A good example for this are the social and political graffiti that have been drawn with certain fundamental issues in mind.  For example, the graffiti below not only discusses the social reality of poverty, it also gives the hopes and reams of the artist on how to combat that issue. Of course the wit with which the graffiti is written gives this graffiti art a position in the top 10.

Another good graffiti art is something that makes allusions to history. This thought provoking graffiti for example alludes to an even that happened in Vietnam. Its impact on audiences such as we is significant enough here for it to be mentioned. It might not be the best piece in terms of art and design, but it subject matter speaks of meaning and importance. So it is well worth it.