Graffiti logos
Graffiti logos take letters off the wall and put them on a brand: throw-ups, bubble letters, wildstyle, tags and chrome. Here's what each style is, where it works, examples from my own lettering, and two ways to get one: set it yourself with my Throwie font, or have me draw yours by hand.
[ The styles ]
Six kinds of graffiti logo.
G.1 / Fast
Throw-ups
Round, bubbly letters with an outline and a quick fill, built to be hit fast in one go. The most readable graffiti style, and the one my Throwie font is built on.
- Wordmarks
- Merch
- Stickers
- Social
G.2 / Friendly
Bubble letters
Soft, inflated letters that lean into each other. Playful and easy to read, which makes them a good fit for food, events and kids brands.
- Food & drink
- Events
- Kids brands
- Names
G.3 / Complex
Wildstyle
Interlocking letters with arrows, breaks and connections. It looks incredible big, but it's hard to read, so I use it as a backdrop or hero graphic more than as a main logo.
- Hero graphics
- Backdrops
- Posters
- Apparel prints
G.4 / Signature
Tags & handstyles
A one-line signature written the way a writer would tag it. Great as a secondary mark, a signature on merch or a personal brand logo.
- Signatures
- Personal brands
- Secondary marks
- Merch tags
G.5 / Heavy
Chrome & 3D blocks
Block letters with silver fills, outlines and drop shadows, the style of a big wall piece. Bold and readable, and it holds up well in one color.
- Shops & signage
- Auto brands
- Album titles
- Banners
G.6 / Mascot
Graffiti characters
Graffiti letters are often paired with a character. Mine was Derp, drawn on the USPS label stickers I put up around Philly. A character next to your letters gives the brand a face.
- Mascots
- Stickers
- Merch
- Social
[ Before you get one ]
Where they work, and where they don't
Graffiti lettering is loud on purpose. That's perfect for streetwear, music, sneaker shops, car culture, barbershops, food trucks and events, where the logo should feel like it came from the street. It's a harder sell for a law firm or a dentist.
The test I use on every graffiti logo: can someone read it in one second, on a phone screen, in one color? If not, I simplify the letters, open up the counters and cut the extra arrows until it passes. The full wild version can still live on a shirt back or a poster.
I've been drawing graffiti letters since high school, when classmates handed me their notebooks to write their names. That turned into stickers, two graffiti typefaces, Throwie and Fat Finger, and lettering for clients.
[ Examples from my lettering ]
[ Two ways to get one ]
DIY it, or have it drawn.
Option 1 / Set it yourself
The Throwie font
My hand-drawn graffiti throw-up font, in outlined and filled versions. Type your name or brand and you have a throw-up in seconds. Good for personal projects, social posts and stickers. Commercial licenses are available for business use.
Option 2 / Get it drawn
A custom graffiti logo
I draw your word from scratch so every letter fits its neighbors and nobody else has the same mark. You get color, one-color, reversed and small versions, tested on real mockups.
More lettering
Names, posters & fonts
Throw-ups, bubble and chrome lettering for names, posters and cover art, plus full custom fonts for brands.
[ How it works ]
How a custom graffiti logo gets made
01 / Brief
The word, the style you're after and where the logo will live, with references.
02 / Sketch
Hand-drawn directions in a few styles so you can pick the energy.
03 / Refine & vector
The chosen sketch cleaned up into crisp vector lettering.
04 / Versions
Color, one-color, reversed and small versions, tested on shirts, stickers and screens.
[ FAQ ]
Good questions
What is a graffiti logo?
A logo built from graffiti-style letters: throw-ups, bubble letters, wildstyle, tags or chrome block letters. Instead of a standard font, the letters are drawn by hand, so they bounce, overlap and carry the energy of a wall piece.
Are graffiti logos good for a business?
For the right brand, yes. Streetwear, music, sneaker shops, auto and detailing shops, barbershops, food trucks and events can wear graffiti well. The catch is readability: a good graffiti logo still reads in a second, at small sizes and in one color. If it only works big and in full color, it's a piece of art, not a logo.
Which graffiti style is easiest to read?
Throw-ups and bubble letters. Their round, simple shapes stay readable on a phone screen or a shirt tag. Wildstyle is the hardest to read, so it works better as a big graphic or a backdrop than as a main logo.
Can I make a logo with the Throwie font?
You can set your name or brand in Throwie right away, and it comes in outlined and filled versions. The standard download is for personal use, so a business logo needs a commercial license. And since anyone can buy the font, a logo made only from it won't be unique to you. For a main business logo I'd draw custom letters or customize the Throwie letters for you.
What's the difference between a graffiti logo maker and a designer?
Online graffiti logo makers drop your word into a font and add an effect. Hand-drawn lettering fits every letter to its neighbors, adjusts the shapes to your word and comes with the simple and one-color versions a real logo needs.
Will a graffiti logo work on shirts, stickers and embroidery?
It should, if it's built for it. I make simpler versions for small sizes, one-color versions for vinyl, screen printing and embroidery, and test the mark on mockups. More in how graffiti logos are made.
Can you put my name in graffiti letters?
Yes. Once I started using Throwie, clients began asking for their names, words and business names in it. I can set yours in one of my fonts or letter it by hand on the custom lettering side.
What files do I get with a custom graffiti logo?
Vector files of the final lettering in every version we planned (color, one-color and reversed), plus PNGs for social and print.
From the Design Dept.