Books - SHAFT and Parallel Strokes

Shaft (Book)128 pages, softcover- by Doze Green & David Ellis. Two of the most influential graffiti turned fine artists active today, New York City residents Doze Green and David Ellis fuse the true meaning of hip-hop with contemporary art styles to create a hybrid of visual sounds that are truly unique and original. In their collaborative book and project, Shaft, each artist takes their trademark styles and characters and interconnects both elements on a site-specific project upon an elevator shaft. The results epitomize the roots of hip-hop and both artists reflect the 21st century urban landscape.The 128-page book comes with a pull-out poster that captures the entirety of the shaft project.

Parallel Strokes is a collection of interviews with twenty-plus contemporary typeface designers, graffiti writers, and lettering artists around the world. The book is introduced with a comprehensive essay charting the history of graffiti, its relation to type design, and how the two practices relate in the wider context of lettering.
Interviews within include conversations with pan-European type design collecitve Underware, Japanese type designer Akira Kobayashi, American graffiti writer and fine artist Barry McGee/Twist, German graffiti writers Daim and Seak, American lettering artist, graphic designer and design eductor Ed Fella, among others. Parallel Strokes is an enquiry into the history, context, and development of lettering today, both culturally approved and illicit.