A Whole New Perspective

For decades now the standard credit and debit card format has been in the conventional landscape format. While this may not have seemed odd in the past, the truth is that more often than not we hold our cards as if they were in portrait mode. Think about when you hand your card over to someone, or if you happen to store it in one of those phone case holders – they’re all in portrait mode.

So in an attempt to change things up and create something that’s unique, a number of banks have started issuing portrait format cards. While the cards still boast the conventional landscape format magnetic strip at the back, all the information on the front of the card is laid out in portrait form. So the humble credit card hasn’t really changed in terms of its usability, but the aesthetic layout is a much-welcomed breath of fresh air.

Some of the first banks to utilize the new portrait layout are UK’s Starling Bank, Virgin One, Venmo, and car manufacturer GM in America. The idea is that the change in design would help to attract a younger market, as the break from traditionalist aspects of banking and credit-based transactions helps brands to stand out from the crowd. I really love how these cards feel more personal, almost like business cards – that you can pay with!

In the near future, we’re quite sure that this format will become the standard option, however, we like to think that most financial institutions will most likely offer a choice between the two formats. While changing the layout of your card has no real effect on how you use your card, it would be cool to whip one of these out in front of your friends! I mean, who doesn’t secretly love being the first to have something new?

With an increased resurgence in street art, especially due to British artist Banksy, we’re taking a look at not only some of the most creative works from around the world but also the 40 top 3D works of street art. Keep your hats on and let’s check them out!

Ever worried about what is under the floor in your living room? Well, famous street artist Nikolaj Arndt managed to picture it for all of us. Using chalk, he drew the slightly creepy picture of crocodiles swimming in a green river under the floor. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near that broken bridge!

This is one of the first of Edgar Müller’s series of the large-sized street paintings created in Moose Jaw, Canada for the Prairie Arts Festival in summer 2007. “Turning Riverstreet into a River” was once the biggest three-dimensional street painting. 280 m² are covered with paint. With the help of local artists, Edgar Mueller turned the street into a river which ended in an enormous waterfall.

There’s nothing we love more than going to the gym. Actually, we lie. There are many things we prefer more than going to the gym. Chocolate for one! Imagine not having to go to the gym but being able to lift 3D weights. This ad for LA Fitness allows us to do just that. You could say that we’ve been to the gym and worked out just by looking at the picture. Fancy that?

Street Artist Odeith has been painting with spray cans since the 1980s. He cleverly uses an optical effect to make his paintings of landscapes, animals, and text appear as if it is 3D, or floating in mid-air. One of his most exciting series depicts giant insects, including wasps and spiders. Odeith says the series aims to remind us that insects are a critical part of the ecosystem.

Artist Leon Keer’s incredible 3D street art is full of humor and political observation. For the 2018 Malta Street Art Festival, Keer created a scene that depicts “gummy bears gather[ing] around their just-deceased green friend.” A little sadder than the other pieces of work, but definitely thought-provoking. The powerful work is best viewed from an upper street level about 10 meters higher than the painting.

If you’ve never crossed the desert or slept in a tent under the stars or even seen a camel, no worries because you don’t have to when looking at this piece. The camel jumps right out at you! So no need to book a trip when you can see some beautiful camels and carpets right here.

Italian spray can artist Peeta aims to “create a dialogue with the structural and cultural parameters of the surrounding context, either architectural or not.” With this extremely clever piece of art, we can’t see where the building even begins. Their work on buildings appears to give the architecture additional extrusions and voids. Very clever indeed.

Anybody for a Scotch Whisky? This piece of 3D art sees the famous Scotch Whisky Johnnie Walker advertise their Green Label Scotch. It looks like a beautiful paradise under the ground and those blue pools of water are gorgeous.

We’ve looked at this picture by Eduardo Relero over and over again and still can’t figure out where it is painted. This piece in the Dominican Republic, that depicts an older man resting with his dog while listening, looks like it has been drawn in an empty fountain, but it’s so good who knows? Is it in a fountain or is it just drawn on the floor? This is the power of great street art, it leaves you guessing!

Daim is a German street artist that plays with form, perspective, and light to create works that appear to change the form of the architecture they adorn. Although using spray cans like traditional graffiti artists, Daim’s work also incorporates techniques from landscape painting and printmaking to get his incredible results. Another great piece of art! Imagine waking up to see this every day.

Look at these beautiful fish swimming up and downstream. The artist has taken an amazing staircase and turned it into a stream by using a popping blue color and fabulous vibrant shades for the fish. We would love to be able to paint our staircases like this. A great use of space and color.

Whether or not you believe in guardian angels that protect you, you cannot deny that this evocative piece by Nikolaj Arndt in Germany leaves you feeling serene and protective. We can see a child sleeping under the cracks of the sidewalk as an angel watches on. Again, we’re not sure if the boy on the left is real or not—the magic of 3D street art leaves us guessing.

This one is really freaky! Is it a river in between houses or a street? This piece by Edgar Mueller in Ireland looks like it comes from an apocalyptic horror film where the street has caved in to form a huge river and lava has burst all over. We don’t know what we would do if we came home to find this on our doorstep!

Heading off to catch a train? Commuters at London’s Waterloo station must have been wondering what was going on as they saw artist Kurt Wenner putting the finishing touches on his creative piece of work. This piece, which is slap bang in the middle of one of the busiest train stations in the world, depicts a crowd in a taxi and a motorbike crashing into someone’s living room. We wouldn’t be as calm as the lady on the couch in the drawing!

Don’t you just hate those summer days where you just wish you could jump into a swimming pool in the mall? Well, artist Manfred Stader in Poland came up with the idea of drawing a nice cool swimming pool opposite a clothing store. It’s simpler than our previous items but definitely more appealing!

After Batman and Robin, we have some more famous superheroes that are coming to save us under the streets of London. Artist Joe Hill is an accomplished artist that works on both small and large scale. His street works use optical illusion techniques to open spectacular voids on ground surfaces. Who knew that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had been hiding in the London sewer system all this time? At least they had one of their trusted pizzas.

Another genius advert by street artists Joe and Max advertising the sports brand Reebok and their CrossFit line in London. This extremely intricate piece took 7 days to perfect and the water and cliffs have been drawn to perfection. This piece of street art also entered the world-famous Guinness Book of World Records as the largest ever piece of street art. It is 1,160.4m square and 106.5 long and was clearly a great advertisement and collaboration for both Joe and Max and Reebok.

The well-known budget European airline Easy Jet is famous for its kinda cringy orange uniforms, but definitely affordable priced travel. They took a great opportunity to advertise their brand with their famous orange and great traditional sea holiday theme. We still can’t get our head around how the lady in the photo is able to pose in such a convincing way as the chair isn’t actually real!

Here is another Guinness World Records holder by Qi Xinghua called “Lions Gate.” His breathtaking artwork, created in a square in front of a shopping mall in Guangzhou Baiyan Wanda Plaza in Guangzhou, China, measures a staggering 23m wide and 32m long on the ground, while the wall it utilizes is more than 6m high. It took him a month of painstaking work to complete. The painting is so lifelike that passers-by said they felt dizzy while standing on the ‘ropes’ strung across a huge, gaping hole in the painting.

Ever craved a nice hot cappuccino while shopping, preferably with chocolate sprinkled on top? Well known British coffee chain Costa coffee was in luck when artist Manfred Stader used his creative genius as well as he assumed loved of coffee to draw this amazing piece on the streets of London. Free advertising for Costa and a nice reminder for us that there is always coffee available around the corner.

Another great piece of art from well-known artist Nikolaj Ardnt depicts this bridge over a gaping void. Nikolaj states he uses chalk and pigment. The pigment is the same as chalk, only in powder. He uses water with lots of sugar to dilute the pigment. The sticky base protects the work from the wind. Nikolaj also states he needs an average of two days to create something like this.

During this time when we are so concerned about our planet and our natural resources, this piece by Julian Beever brings the message home again. Julian is a Belgium-based artist, who has been creating his masterful 3D drawings since the mid-1990s. The chalk artworks are done by using a technique called anamorphosis—that is what creates the optical illusion of 3D when viewed from the intended angle.

Careful! Don’t fall in! Kurt Wenner is at it again with this crazy depiction of London’s Piccadilly Circus subway, except it’s in Belgium and named “The Belgian Underground.” If you take a closer look you might see some of your favorite literary characters such as Alice from Alice and Wonderland and Sherlock Holmes. Fascinating!

This piece of art by Nina Camplin shows us what could possibly be inside a derelict building. Camplin says she is “interested in challenging perceptions of space and creating scenes of faked realities, such as windows, doors, and broken walls that open up the flat surface to give the viewer the optical illusion of an additional dimension beyond.” Her trompe l’oeil works, a term to describe visual illusion in art, especially as used to trick the eye into perceiving a painted detail as a three-dimensional object, have been painted all over the UK.

This football depiction shows four players running out of the wall to catch the ball. It’s by artist Tracy Lee Stum, an American artist best known for her 3D street paintings and chalk drawings. She, at one point, held the Guinness World Record for the Largest Chalk Painting by an Individual. Apparently, she is so passionate and dedicated, Tracy Lee Stum began drawing as soon as she could clutch a crayon.

The great thing about 3D art is how not only it manages to fool the eye, but it also intertwines and connects with the world around it creating an even larger masterpiece. Check out this picture where a young boy has been drawn on a wall only to have the tree behind it form his hair. Absolutely breathtaking and a perfect example of how unique 3D art can be.

At first glance, this man appears to be inches from disaster. But the image is actually an illusion and the man is standing on a picture – although he appears to be about to fall from a London rooftop. This piece by Joe Hill was created to celebrate the UK release of the 2012 film Man on a Ledge.

Remember the freaky Gollum character from the Lord of the Rings franchise? He used to say “my precious” over and over again, and this piece seems to be a precious piece of art revealing a bright blue tunnel behind what seems to be a derelict wall. Again, 3D street art manages to make something ugly or useless, like a derelict wall, come to life.

Another piece by one of the most famous street artists Julian Beever called “Taking The Plunge,” which sees a river and diving board painted into the street. We can see another example of anamorphic illusions, a special distortion in order to create an impression of three dimensions when seen from one particular viewpoint. In order to appear really three dimensional, they need to be viewed either through a camera, which he has set up on a tripod for people to look through, or on a cellphone, iPad, or other screen.

This trick artwork was created by Kurt Wenner for Universal Studios Japan’s 10th anniversary. The work features Spiderman, and in addition to creating a 3D effect with Kurt’s use of anamorphic perspective, this work also leverages 3D stereoscopic effect (only visible when wearing Color Code 3D blue and amber glasses). The work itself is approximately 50 feet long and 20 feet wide, and incorporates original vertical artwork as well as existing elements of Universal Studios into the artwork (the background New York Library set that was used in the film Ghostbusters).

Joe and Max strike again with this ad for Sprite. Known for huge collaborations with a variety of brands, this time Joe and Max tried to up the ante by delivering a fresh take on Sprite to compliment their ads that year. Route 66 seems to have disappeared under a huge Sprite waterfall. To tell you the truth, we wouldn’t mind surfing a Sprite wave either! Thanks again, Max and Joe!

That famous mustache can only belong to the surrealist artist and filmmaker Salvador Dali—a man who pushed the boundaries of art for his generation. A street artist has paid homage to him by painting his famous face on a staircase. How about that beauty?

This one slightly terrified us as we thought we might have entered the Jurassic Park theme park by accident. Street artist Qi Xinghua gives us an ultra-realistic wall mural with dinosaurs. According to Qi, he uses a technique called ‘reverse version’ or ‘inverse-perspective’ and says that from our normal vision, nearby objects are big and far away ones are small. He uses the opposite method to make far away objects big and close objects small.

British Airways has long been famous for its expensive and humorous ads. Clearly, in a way to change route, they decided to use artist Joe Hill to create a fantastic 3D experience welcoming tourists to Britain. The picture highlights all the famous monuments London offers, as well as a picture of the Queen inside. I’d be careful on that ledge though!

This amazing mural was created for a festival celebrating Street Art in Antwerp, Belgium. The festival ran for ten days and featured 16 works of street art. This part of the town called Eilandje was revamped entirely, so while some buildings were being demolished, others remained to cherish the story of their historical value in the port of Antwerp. Artists from all over the world, as well as a handful of locals, were invited to transform these buildings with street art, putting even more emphasis on the temporary aspect of this art form.

A street artist in Italy called Caiffa Cosimo created this bright street art mural that interacts with and incorporates the surroundings, making it look like the make is actually leaping off of the wall! Cosimo has worked on perfecting his photorealistic street art techniques ever since he moved to Milan, and it shows in his work – the 3D snake in his mural looks so realistic, you have to look twice just to make sure it isn’t an actual giant serpent!

This incredible piece was done by Baltimore-based artist known as Gaia, his unusual creations combined with his expert skills have made him a globally-recognized artist. He has traveled the world, creating many works of art, and now his pieces can be seen on six different continents, now that is quite a feat! His works impart subtle political and social messages and this piece specifically brings new life to a rather ordinary apartment building, making a statement that art belongs everywhere.

It would be difficult to ignore this giant pair of glasses, cleverly composed using a street light and the snow. It seems as if a giant casually rested his spectacles on the ground for a moment and perhaps forgot them. This was done by the street artist Pavel Puhov is commonly known as the ‘Russian Banksy.’ He often creates controversial street art that makes a statement in his home country, putting his art in very public locations so that it catches the public’s attention.

Here we see a crumbling old lighthouse that has been transformed into what seems to be a man with a funny expression. It’s captured with this misty landscape in the background, which makes it even more surreal. Nikita Nomerz is a graffiti and street artist from Russia, who brings run-down buildings back to life by transforming them into whimsical characters. He originally began with classic graffiti and then started experimenting with other forms; he describes what he does as “playing” with space and objects.

German artist, 1010, took advantage of this unusual section of a rerouted highway, turning it into a multicolored portal to the underworld! This Parisian highway is covered in 400 liters of paint and is now called “le périphérique”, covering 2.8 square miles of asphalt. “I like to play with the perceptions of human beings,” 1010 said about his masterpiece. “Sometimes we think something is static but it’s not. If you change the perspective you see it in a different way.”

This building “holding up” this street art is famous in its own right. Downtown Toronto’s Gooderham Building, also known as the Flatiron Building preceded the famous New York City building of the same name. Made of over 50 panels that are attached to a steel frame and mounted to look as if the painting is fluttering in the wind as it hangs up to dry. What’s most interesting about this piece is that the bricks and windows mirror the building across from it.

Over the past couple of years, many street artists have become world-renowned artists. They’ve spent years perfecting their craft, making a name for themselves. Sometimes, the best street art can come from an amateur – which is exactly what happened here. A Reddit user posted this photo, with the caption, “This is how my friend’s 67-year-old dad made the best out of a crack in a wall.” The post went viral quickly, but the artist still remains anonymous.

One of the world’s most well-known street artist’s massive success came as somewhat of a surprise to him, “I have been drawing since I was a little kid, but I never expected to get this far,” he said in an interview. This piece is an amazing one, with a giant bird seemingly perched on the wall. After he’s done working on his piece, he often poses with it to enhance the illusion of his photorealistic creations.

Argentinan artist, Eduardo Rolero has traveled across the world, creating surreal street art illusions. His art’s 3D appearance gives them a life of their own. The scenes he creates seem as if they come out of a surreal fantasy book. It seems as though, the characters he draws magically jump out of their realm and make it into the real world. Rolero’s street art becomes even more lifelike when real people and animals interact with them.

Natalia Rak, a Polish artist, created “Legend of Giants” in 2013, inspired by folk stories about giants. One tradition explains that they set out to destroy the world, but started mimicking humans when they saw them taking care of the nature around them. She adopted this into an environmentalist work of art to inspire people living in urban areas to plant trees. Rak worked hard on the mural for seven days and 10 hours a day, working through the rain for part of it.

Penang, Malaysia, has a neighborhood called Georgetown that has exploded with street art in the past decade. Inadvertently, artist Ernest Zacharevic kicked it off when he painted a series of murals in the city. Many of these had 3D aspects to them for passersby to interact with, and it inspired other street artists to cover the neighborhood with beautiful works of art. This one is located in front of a bakery, showing kids reaching for a basket of buns passing by on a bike.

This piece was made by NEVERCREW, a pair of artists from Switzerland names Christian Rebecchi and Pablo Togni. They do many of these murals all around the world, specializing in a mind-bending 3D “surreal realism.” You can see urban landscapes all over adorned with their messages, which are usually about controversial issues facing us today. NEVERCREW are known for works about climate change, preserving nature, and problematic societal trends. Their vision is meant to spurn others to talk about the issues and get involved.

Aakash Nihalani uses only neon tape to make awesome art, and here’s an example. Based in New York, other examples of his craft can be seen all over the city’s urban landscape. “For however briefly,” he said, “I am trying to offer people a chance to step into a different New York than they are used to seeing, and in turn, momentarily escape from routine schedules. We all need the opportunity to see the city more playfully, as a world dominated by the interplay of very basic color and shape.”

Worldwide 3D street artists Joe & Max helped promote The Dark Knight Rises release in Madrid, Spain on July 20, 2012, by creating a stunning 3D street painting depicting the film’s theatrical release poster. Joe & Max flipped the scene found in the poster to show Gotham City and the actual street in Madrid crumbling apart and falling into the burning Batman symbol abyss. If this doesn’t make you want to check out a movie at the theatre, we don’t know what will.

Where are our favorite superheroes when we need them? Well on the London sidewalk, that’s where! In this piece of art by Julian Beever, we can see the two superheroes, Batman and Robin, climbing up a burning building in order to save the real-life person who has placed themselves on what looks like a ledge. What’s great about these 3D pieces is that anybody walking past can become part of the artwork itself and therefore part of the story. Who wouldn’t want to be rescued by Batman and Robin?

Here is another great piece by Julian Beever, which sees him sitting on a block of ice trying to catch a whale. Beever uses chalk to make the drawings that he says best come to life when viewed through a camera he sets up on site. We love the special touch of the picnic basket sitting on one of the blocks of ice. Hungry anyone?

Dunkin Donuts’ has to be one of the most recognized donut shops not only in the US but also all over the world. So like most companies, they must have been really happy to find that someone loved their brand so much they decided to draw a 3D piece of art on the floor for them. Look at how realistic the fruit seems! Smoothie anyone?

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London is extremely well known for its great street art and here is another fine example by Joe and Max. I hope you’re not afraid of heights because if you are it’s a good idea to look away because as the title suggests, don’t look down! We can’t tell if the plank of wood under the bike is real or not but in any case, it looks completely realistic and has us completely fooled.

People dream of one day owning a beautiful shiny car. Imagine on your trip to the mall one came out of the cracks of the floor! Nobody seems to be worried though. It’s great how there isn’t even a scratch on that shiny blue car.

This piece found in Stockholm, Sweden, is called “Skrapan” and was created by Erik Johannson. Those with vertigo better stay clear of this, as it will stoke the fear of heights in the bravest of daredevils. It’s an ultra-realistic depiction of what it looks like standing on the top of Skrapan, which is one of the tallest buildings in the city. The only way people snap out of it is when you look up and notice that the real building stands right before you.

Imagine driving in your car and then you come across this strange butterfly obstruction. Would you try to drive around the 3D art, turn around and drive away or stop to admire the beauty of this design?

We hope you’re like us and that you would go with the latter option after all the butterfly insect is a beautiful sight to admire. If you believe in the psychology behind the butterfly effect, then you’ll know that you were destined to see this.

There are few activities in life that are more fun than a standard pool party — from the swimsuits to the music, ball-throwing activities, and overall atmosphere, we really missed these memories over the past year.

Luckily, thanks to the modern-day brilliance of creative minds, we can still see the parties even if we can’t physically attend them. This next street art feature will give you FOMO and happy nostalgia all in one.

Driving or walking under a dark tunnel can always be a slightly chilling experience, after all, darkness provides us with the fear of the unknown. Add this street art piece of this man’s tattooed arms chasing you to the mix and you’re guaranteed to be scared for your life.

This passerby’s frightful positioning perfectly encapsulates what our reaction would be. Just remember guys, he’s just a painting and isn’t real… right?