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No ethos really. Most people won't be able to read it, but most graf writers can, you just get used to the way people structure their letters and connections, arrows etc. . For some it's more about the structure and architecture of letter forms and how you get these to flow well, and for others it's just about getting up regardless of what your stuff looks like. I don't think you loose the typographic unity in more complex stuff at all. If you're just making it complex for the sake of it but have no actual flow or letter structure in there then yes of course, but I personally love very complex pieces that are still legible. Guys like Bates I.E he does fairly complex semi wild style stuff but it's still easy to read, even for non graff people. Here's a quick example of more simple stuff (not the best examples but at work so don't have time to look for better) (Bates on the left, then Kent, Atom, Smash 137, Kacao and Can Two). Not very complex this one but not straight letter either. He does far more complex stuff than this but the letter styles are still always in there. The others are pretty legible as well but still a bit of style to them. Kacao's piece is maybe harder to read, but I find it quite easy cause I've been into graff for so long. On the the second example he goes more complex but still easy to read (Bates is no. 4 from the left). Love the 'More' piece as well (no. 4 from right). And the 'Great' piece is a good example of classic New York Wildstyle (no. 2 from the right). Complex but the letters are funky and easy enough to read for a graff writer at least. Then there's 3d styles like the stuff 'Daim' is doing (on the bottom pic). Complex as in it's three dimensional but you can still see the letters easily.

Soren you're the man to ask here. He mentions there at the end "I don't think you'd even be able to read it" so what's the ethos behind super complex pieces where you can't read the tag? I think I'd rather see a cheeky throwup than those on the whole because they lose a bit of that spontenaity and kind of typographic unity once you get very complex. Be interested in your opinion.