NYCxDESIGN 2015 Trends We Love: Graffiti Print

The fortnight of events comprising NYCxDESIGN (formerly known as New York Design Week to any old-school attendees in the house) has finally come to a close, marking a particularly robust annual showing at the citywide festival of events revolving around all things design. Our collective cultural consciousness sometimes inspires artists and makers with similar concepts iterated in vastly different ways. Our first trend pick of the season is the inky, hand-drawn graffiti markings threaded throughout many shows this season. While brush script lettering has become popular over the past few years, the bold, angular movements of these latest stroke patterns and murals feel more like frenetic 1980s Keith Haring than homespun calligraphy. Whether the trend is a reaction to all the stark, neat geometry that’s synonymous with Brooklyn design exports right now, or instead is sparked by the popularity of kuba cloth textiles for their organic yet graphic vibes, contrasting hand-drawn graffiti print is having a moment. Feel free to share your favorites in the comments! —Annie