Urban landscapes of Mexican cities discover their personality in the graphics which surround them. Particular elements such as color, shape, detail, shadow and texture, which communicate messages to the citizens and become part of their daily lives, characterize the city.
Their graphic results are creations which are routinely hand drawn by rotulistas (sign painters) and letreristas (letterists). These artists carry out their work independently from any established standards and conventions, and the majority of them did not receive a formal education, but are instead self‒taught. In the past sign painting was a very important artisanal trade, but it has been sadly overshadowed by the hegemony of new printing technologies.
This master’s thesis emphasizes the value and practice of this job and this graphic style. It also introduces popular Mexican signs to the urban landscape of Graz, and analyzes their feasibility and reception in Austria, where this form of communication is not very commonplace.
