Bates Graffiti Blackbook

Publikat is back – and they do it in style. First up in the new venture is none other than BATES, one of Scandinavia’s most respected graffiti legends. Bates has been active since 1984 and is still as uncompromising.

Publikat is now releasing GRAFFITI BLACKBOOKS – BATES (A4, 208 pages, softcover) – the start of a brand new series that highlights what is otherwise rarely seen: graffiti artists’ private blackbooks.

BATES is one of the world’s foremost style writers, known for his distinctive and perfect lettering. Here he offers something truly special: his own sketches. Raw, authentic and full of energy – with paint smudges, spray dust, quick notes, folded corners and everything that goes with a well-used blackbook. A unique insight into his working process and his uncompromising focus on style.

Some spreads even show the sketch next to the finished painting, providing a rare chance to follow how ideas develop from paper to wall – how flow, structure and detail change along the way.

The book also includes personal texts by BATES himself, where he talks about his sketches, his letters and his view on style writing:

“Sketching remains the key to stylewriting. Developing a style always begins on paper.”