Graffiti vs Street Art: What's the Difference? Plus the Writers' Vocabulary
What separates graffiti from street art, and what writers mean by tags, throw-ups, pieces, burners, wildstyle and the buff.
By The Outsider Artist editors, Editorial team, Website Studio
Updated
· Last reviewed · 3 min read
In short
- Graffiti, in the hip hop sense, is mainly about lettering: writers paint their own name in increasingly complex styles, for an audience of other writers.
- Street art usually means images, such as stencils, posters, stickers and murals, aimed at the general public.
- A tag is a quick signature; a throw-up is a fast outline-and-fill name; a piece (short for masterpiece) is a large, colourful, detailed work.
- Wildstyle is a complex, interlocking style of lettering that can be hard for outsiders to read.
- Both graffiti and street art are criminal damage in the UK if painted without the owner's permission.
What is the difference between graffiti and street art?
The two overlap, and many artists do both, but there is a broad difference in purpose and audience.
| Graffiti (writing) | Street art | |
|---|---|---|
| Main subject | The writer's name, in lettering | Images, characters and messages |
| Audience | Mainly other writers | The general public |
| Typical tools | Spray paint and markers, freehand | Stencils, posters, stickers, brushes and spray |
| Values | Style, skill, risk and getting your name "up" | Concept, humour, message and visibility |
| Roots | New York train writing from about 1970 | Graffiti, punk, poster art and activism |
| Typical UK example | A crew's piece on a hall of fame wall | A Banksy stencil or a festival mural |
Some writers resent the term "street art", seeing it as a polished, gallery-friendly version of their culture. Others move between both worlds. Murals painted legally at festivals are sometimes called "muralism" to distinguish them from both.
What do graffiti terms mean?
- Writer
- What graffiti artists usually call themselves. Graffiti is "writing".
- Tag
- A writer's stylised signature, done quickly with a marker or spray can. The most basic form of graffiti.
- Throw-up
- A name painted quickly as bubble letters with an outline and simple fill, usually in two colours.
- Piece
- Short for masterpiece: a large, colourful, carefully planned lettering work.
- Burner
- An outstanding piece, so good it "burns" others nearby.
- Wildstyle
- A complex style of interlocking letters, arrows and connections that can be hard for non-writers to read. The film Wild Style took its name from it.
- Character
- A figure or cartoon painted alongside lettering. London's Mode 2 became famous for his characters.
- Crew
- A group of writers who paint together, such as the Chrome Angelz in London.
- Bombing
- Painting many tags or throw-ups quickly across a wide area.
- Hall of fame
- A wall where the best writers paint large pieces, often tolerated or legal. Westbourne Park in west London was an early UK hall of fame.
- Black book
- A writer's sketchbook for practising letters and collecting other writers' tags.
- Toy
- An inexperienced or unskilled writer. An insult.
- King
- A highly respected writer, as in "King Robbo".
- Going over
- Painting over another writer's work, a serious breach of etiquette unless your work is better. See Banksy vs King Robbo.
- The buff
- The removal of graffiti by councils or transport companies.
- Stencil
- A cut-out template sprayed through to create an image quickly. The technique used by Banksy, Nick Walker and Blek le Rat.
- Paste-up (wheatpaste)
- A poster or printed image glued to a wall.
Is street art just legal graffiti?
No. Much street art is painted without permission, which makes it criminal damage just like illegal graffiti. And much graffiti is painted legally on permission walls and at festivals. Legality depends on permission from the owner of the surface, not on style. See graffiti and UK law.
When did street art become mainstream?
In the UK, 2008 was a turning point. Banksy's Cans Festival turned a tunnel under Waterloo station into a public gallery, and Tate Modern's Street Art exhibition covered the museum's river facade with work by Blu, Faile, JR, Nunca, Os Gemeos and Sixeart from 23 May to 25 August 2008. Since then, street art has become part of tourism, festivals and the art market.
Where to go next
Read the history of graffiti in the UK, or see the full glossary.
Questions and answers
What is the difference between graffiti and street art?
Graffiti, or writing, is mainly about stylised lettering of the writer's own name, for an audience of other writers. Street art usually means images, such as stencils, posters and murals, aimed at the general public. Read more.
Sources and further reading
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