A little bit about Ambigrams with a few tips

We can define an ambigram as a figure which has an axis of symmetry. Due to such symmetry the figure remains same when it is seen in another direction as well. Ambigrams have been in existence for quite some time. They could be just text, pictures or even a combination of both.

There is a common misunderstanding that ambigrams are generally just text. I can give you few examples of pictorial ambigrams.

Ambigrams are of many types classified on the basis of their axis of symmetry:

Rotational:
Figures are called rotational ambigrams when they have a diagonal axis of symmetry. Thus when rotated by an angle (most rotational ambigrams are generally rotated by 180 degrees) they remain the same. Most of the ambigrams are generally rotational in nature. Or atleast the most famous of ambigrams

Mirror:
A design that can be read when reflected in a mirror, usually as the same word or phrase both ways. Ambigrams that form different words when viewed in the mirror are also known as glass door ambigrams, because they can be printed on a glass door to be read differently when entering or exiting.

Figure-ground :
A design in which the spaces between the letters of one word form another word. The introductory figure of 'ambigram' is a good example. Here the space between 'm' and 'b' forms the letter 'r'.

Chain:
A design where a word (or sometimes words) are interlinked, forming a repeating chain. Letters are usually overlapped meaning that a word will start partway through another word. Sometimes chain ambigrams are presented in the form of a circle.

Space-filling:
Similar to chain ambigrams, but tile to fill the 2-dimensional plane.

Fractal:
A version of space-filling ambigrams where the tiled word branches from itself and then shrinks in a self-similar manner, forming a fractal. See Scott Kim's fractal of the word TREE for an animated example.

3-dimensional:
A design where an object is presented that will appear to read several letters or words when viewed from different angles. Such designs can be generated using constructive solid geometry.

Perceptual shift:
A design with no symmetry but can be read as two different words depending on how the curves of the letters are interpreted.

Natural:
A natural ambigram is a word that possesses one or more of the above symmetries when written in its natural state, requiring no typographic styling. For example, the words "dollop" and "suns" are natural rotational ambigrams. The word "bud" forms a natural mirror ambigram when reflected over a vertical axis. The words "CHOICE" and "OXIDE", in all capitals, form a natural mirror ambigram when reflected over a horizontal axis. The word "TOOTH", in all capitals, forms a natural mirror ambigram when its letters are stacked vertically and reflected over a vertical axis.

Symbiotogram:
An Ambigram that, when rotated 180 degrees, can be read as a different word to the original.

Studying ambigrams can be quite an enjoyable experience. I believe that improving the skill in making ambigrams can be done by trial and error. Basically following the steps below can get u thru some easy ambigrams:

• Choosing the kind of ambigram. Not every figure can be made into a single type of ambigram. Hence choosing the type of ambigram can be time saving. But this requires a lot of practice.
• Practising symmetry of every alphabet with every other alphabet. One should be able to make any letter look like any other letter when rotated.
• Since the above is not possible for every word, we can try clusters. Taking up a couple of letters and make them look like a couple of different letters. This way we can rule make sure that those which cannot be achieved through step 1.

I am not a professional ambigram maker. I am just a guy with ideas, slowly in the process of implementing them. It takes quite a lot of practice to make ambigrams and it requires a lot of imagination. Design mode allows us a lot more freedom. Design mode in the sense, working with curves and not just straight lines. For instance, when observing the ambigram below:

We can see that the curve above the letter A makes it look like Y when rotated. Its important to note the usage of light strokes and dark strokes. This is what prevents n from looking like P. This is the thing with Ambigrams. Even a small stroke can change the look of any character. The important thing is the formation of the idea and that comes only from constant practice and experience.

All I can conclude is that the art of ambigrams is a fascinating one, and requires a lot of practice. The very fact that working hard on an ambigram can be tedious but when it produces a result, its too damn heartening.