Sensacional

Book excerpt: Walk down any street in Mexico, and you'll be greeted by images of soccer stars, mariachi singers, space ships, taxis, tortas, tequila, or any one of the colorful posters that shopkeepers, advertisers, designers, and artists have put up throughout their cities and towns. Sensacional: Mexican Street Graphics is the definitive collection of these outrageous, vivid, exuberant, and downright beautiful images that so often define public space south of the border. In contrast to the corporate efficiency of so much American signage, the images collected here depict a vibrant and experimental visual culture. Advertising everything from sex clubs, wrestling arenas, and restaurants to dentist's offices, auto-body shops, locksmiths, and shoe-repair stores, these images provide an inspiring monument to the craft of vernacular design, and are as much a part of the streetscape as the buildings they cover. Following a foreword by renowned musician and artist David Byrne, and an introduction by design historian Steven Heller, Sensacional presents more than 300 full-color illustrations of Mexico's most animated street graphics.