Congratulations to Christian Acker for a well-deserved mention and praise in the New York Times today:

“Graffiti is now so closely linked to branding products that it’s lost its edge, but FLIP THE SCRIPT: A Guidebook for Aspiring Vandals and Typographers (Gingko Press, $35), by Christian P. Acker, is an admirably researched oral history and tribute to its rebellious roots.” – Steven Heller, NY Times

Pick up your own copy of Flip the Script and get ready for a West coast book tour coming soon to an Upper Playground store near you…

Photo by Handselecta. From Article: Punk’d – The Best of Punk Magazine and More

The most reviled and persecuted form of Graffiti, the Tag, is seldom appreciated for the raw beauty of its skeletal letter forms. Most tags are removed immediately, and thus the casual viewer seldom has a chance to discern the difference between entry level and advanced hand styles.

Within the pages of Flip the Script, author Christian Acker has systematically analyzed a cross section of American graffiti hand styles, contextualizing the work of graffiti writers from around the United States. Acker presents the various lettering samples in a clean organized format, giving the material a proper, formal treatment evoking classic typography books.

Available online: FLIP the SCRIPT

224 pages, Hardcover, 8 ̋ x 10.5 ̋ (178 x 229 mm)
100s of 2-color illustrations, English ISBN: 978-1-58423-460-9