by Daniel Troit

Created on: February 08, 2009

From the caves of France to the walls of Pompeii, writing or drawing on a public surface was just something people did. It was nothing epic or of monumental impact but simply an anecdotal footnote set in the periphery of the larger developments of a culture. Consistent and intimate as it was, it could hardly be considered a movement. It could hardly be considered a movement, that is, until the emergence of TAKI (183). One person, in gaining a novel kind of fame through his prolific and widespread signatures was able to spark a trend that in less than twenty years transformed whimsical vandalism into a style and aesthetic all its own.

Because of it's subversive and illegal nature, graffiti is an art form that remains attractive to mostly adolescents and young adults who often seek to demonstrate their break from the traditions of their culture and its convention. Teens are also drawn to the relative accessibility to fame and prominence that graffiti provides. With minimum effort, a person is able to gain notoriety or at least attention from every member of his or her community seeing their name. The enduring emphasis upon nicknames and personal style appeals to the developing ego of young people and their search for identity.

Because of their limited experience and relatively disposable finances, the suburban adolescent is the most marketed-to demographic in the world. The desire to anticipate what kids are going to want next has lead companies and marketers to "go underground" in order to more effectively reach their consumer base. This has resulted in greater profits for companies and a further obfuscation of the "real world" for teenagers. The ability of the young adult to seek out and find the authentic becomes more greatly limited by marketer's attempts to infiltrate every sphere of youth culture.

In addition to the appeal that graffiti's one-name-game had for the developing egoism of youngsters, it also lent itself nicely to branding. After years of developing brand consciousness, advertisers and culture merchants were able to easily assimilate graffiti's "tag" culture in with some tags of their own design. From brand name spray paints such as Molotow and Montana to fashion and design companies such as Kidrobot, graffiti is more underground than skateboarding and equally as lucrative. In 2008, companies who cater to the graffiti subculture posted profits comparable to the sporting goods industry. A main figure in graffiti, KAWS has made a decent living for himself through his exclusive brand distributor, Original Fake.

As a threat to mainstream society, graffiti never presented itself as much more than a sub cultural marketing opportunity. While still argued as either public art or blight, to the largest part of society, it has become a natural part of the urban landscape. For suburban youth, it has become the most easily accessible rejection of their manicured environment while providing an interesting avenue by which brand marketers are further able strengthen their grip on the materialism of their heritage. Overall, the graffiti movement was over before it began. Though creating a new and interesting form of stylization, it quickly succumbed to materialism and vanity as it found itself in the marginal and mediocre designation of "fad."

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