Project Goal:

Design and produce a print publication that showcases the stories and artistry behind tattoos, shifting the focus away from the body and toward the ink itself. The aim was to elevate tattoos as a legitimate and personal form of visual storytelling, rather than treating them as decorative extensions of the body.

Process:

This project emerged from a desire to reframe how tattoo media is typically consumed, often filtered through a hyper-sexualized or surface-level lens. I developed a minimalist editorial layout that let the tattoos speak for themselves, pairing full-bleed photography with intimate quotes and short narratives from the individuals wearing them. The visual hierarchy prioritizes the artwork, not the anatomy, deliberately cropping or shadowing body parts to avoid sensationalism and keep the focus on the design. Photographs were shot in stark, studio lighting, using shallow depth of field to draw the eye to linework, colour, and skin texture. Each image was approached delicately, framed to emphasize scale, placement, and style. The design system employs clean sans-serif typography, generous white space, and a muted grayscale palette punctuated by the vibrant tones of the tattoos themselves bleeding onto the page. The publication moves between macro and micro views—zoomed-in captures of ink, followed by wide shots that reveal their context on the body, always with dignity and respect. Each spread is punctuated with minimal captions and page elements to maintain a gallery-like feel.

Reflections:

This project challenged me to think critically about gaze, representation, and the ethics of visual storytelling. By intentionally avoiding sensationalism, I was able to create space for authenticity and depth, giving each subject control over how their story—and their skin—was portrayed.