There are methods to design an ambigram, a field in which some artists have become specialists. Numerous ambigram logos are famous, and ambigram tattoos become increasingly popular. Drawing symmetrical words constitutes also a recreational activity for amateurs. It is a recent interdisciplinary concept, combining art, literature, mathematics, cognition, and optical illusions. 'Half-turn' ambigrams undergo a point reflection (180° rotational symmetry) and can be read upside down, mirror ambigrams have an axial symmetry and can be read through a reflective surface (like a mirror or a mirroring lake), and many other types of ambigrams exist.Īmbigrams are found in different languages, various alphabets and the notion often extends to numbers and other symbols. When flipped, they remain unchanged, or they mutate to reveal another meaning. Most often, ambigrams appear as visually symmetrical words.
The term was coined by Douglas Hofstadter in 1983. 180° rotational symmetryĪn ambigram is a calligraphic design that has several interpretations as written.
