A name you are going to write hundreds of times has to work as lettering first. Length, letter mix and the shapes involved matter far more than the meaning.
Length: four to six letters
Four to six is the practical range. Shorter than four and there is not enough structure to build a composition from. Longer than six and the letters get small, the counters close, and the name stops reading at the distance where it matters most.
Two-letter names are a special case: they work only if both letters are visually strong on their own. The letters that carry a two-letter name well are O, I, X, D and V.
The letter mix matters more than the word
Some letters are much easier to style than others, and a name made entirely of hard letters will fight you forever. Balance the mix deliberately.
| Strength | Letters | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Easy to style | O, D, B, R, P, U | Round counters and bowls give you shapes to work with |
| Strong markers | X, K, Z, W | Angular letters add tension and make a name memorable |
| Flexible | A, N, M, V, Y | Diagonals interlock with almost anything |
| Difficult | I, J, L, T | Single stems with no interior — they look thin beside anything round |
| Hardest to place | S, E, G, Q | Either no straight stroke, or too many counters, or a detail that disappears under weight |
A name with at least one round letter and at least one angular letter is almost always easier to design than a name made of one type. Round letters give you mass; angular letters give you edges to hook on to.
Avoid repeating a hard letter
Two S letters in one name is the classic problem — the hardest letter in the alphabet, twice, in the same word. Two E letters is nearly as bad, because both will want to be the widest letter and only one can be.
If the name you love has a hard repeat, decide early which one is the dominant instance and make the other visibly lighter. Otherwise the two will compete and the name will look unbalanced no matter how carefully you draw it.
Test it before you commit
- Write the name in the smallest size you can read it at. If it survives at 20 mm wide, it will survive anywhere.
- Write it in all caps, then squint. If it turns into a shape, the letter mix is failing.
- Try it in a bubble style, then in a blockbuster style. A name that works in only one of the two is fragile.
- Write it thirty times quickly. If it stops being fun, it is the wrong name.
Test a name across all 15 styles
Testing names in the generator
The generator renders your name in fifteen different styles instantly, which makes it an efficient filter. Type the name, then cycle the style list: a name that looks good in eight of them is a name with a strong skeleton.
If a name only works in one style, the problem is usually that one letter is carrying it. Rework that letter or consider dropping it.
Questions
How many letters should a graffiti name have?
Four to six is the practical range. Three or fewer leaves too little structure to compose with, and seven or more makes the letters small enough that counters close at the distance where the name needs to read.
Which letters are hardest to use in a graffiti name?
S, E and G. S has no straight stroke to anchor it, E has three counters to keep open, and G depends entirely on a spur that inflation tends to erase.
Should a graffiti name include numbers?
Numbers are common and they give you an easy way to add a year or a crew number. Structurally, 0, 8 and 2 are the easiest and 3, 5 and 7 the hardest, for the same reasons their letter equivalents are.