Rocket Science-GR1

Link to Google Presentation:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1KJT0Pc0my21L95YCZSXXUH2hcHb8TN-_mukeF4BdLsA/edit?usp=sharing

Observations and Interviews

Tattoo Artists

1. Bobbles

Bobbles is an experienced tattoo artist at Pino Bro’s Ink, one of the premier tattoo studios in Cambridge. He has been tattoo for just about twenty years and specializes in tribal tattoo, horror and grotesque designs. Having had much experience under his belt, Bobbles has had the opportunity to see the change of tattoo perception over the years, from being a vice-ridden activity to now a commonly accepted mainstream culture. Because of his experience, Bobbles also has established his own workflow and now focuses on working on specialized, custom tattoos with his clients. Bobbles has a strong work ethic and believes that tattoos should be based only on important decisions, and strives to produce enduring and thoughtful designs which will stand the test of time.

However, Bobbles often finds inconveniences when communicating with potential clients, especially when the clients have unrealistic expectations or misguided preconceptions about the tattoo design process. He wishes that there could be some way he would be able to educate his potential client base to understand some of the technicalities in what would constitute a good tattoo design, as well as to let them learn that an entire tattoo project is an extended process and requires careful thought.

On another note, Bobbles is always actively on the lookout for anything that catches his eye, so he can take a photograph of it and refer to it for future inspiration. For example, Bobbles keeps a large folder of photographs of skewed metal junk, which comes in useful when he is coming up with tribal tattoo designs.

Finally, Bobbles observes that many tattoo artists and/or clients use google images when coming up for ideas in design. He gave an example of this particular bird photograph, which had inspired many tattoos. He thinks it would be great if there was some sort of specialized tattoo gallery, where users can browse through a good collection of artworks (to get a realistic idea of possible tattoos they could get), to be able to find a suitable artist to suit their style, and well as to be able to be used by Bobbles himself as a tool for inspiration and referencing.

2. Davidy

Davidy is an aspiring tattooist and has been apprenticing in Pino Bro’s Ink for a few years and is on track to soon becoming a fully fledged artist. He was in fact in the midst of tattooing a client when we went to talk to him, and was kind enough to provide us with some of his thoughts.

Like Bobbles, Davidy also feels a need to educate the public base. In recent years, popular reality TV shows such as Miami Ink and L.A. Ink have generated much public interest in the tattoo industry. While Davidy can definitely feel the rise in popularity in tattooing (and therefore is glad that it is good for business), he is very concerned about the misconceptions such TV shows can bring, such as skipping the process of designing the tattoo with the client, which is a more involved process than suggested in the shows. Also, he reiterates that it is usually challenging when a client is unfamiliar with general rules of tattoo designs, and insists on design which will not stand the test of time (i.e. the lines may start to smear if they are too small or close together, white ink looks horrible in general etc.).

Davidy wishes that besides educating the public, that it would be nice if there was some kind of database on unrealistic tattoo designs (like a hall of shame) so his potential clients will be aware of the limitations in tattoo design, and therefore be able to make better decisions and to streamline the design process.

Tattoo Clients (people who want to get a Tattoo)

1. Benjamino

Benjamino is not a stranger to the tattoo community, having got his first tattoo ten years ago. Since then, he has had a few more tattoos inked onto him. Unlike many clients who might be unsure on what design they want, Benjamino says that he had always been able to come up with a solid idea of what he wants and to work closely with his tattoo-artist friends. As a result, he has never really had any difficulty in finding and artist to match his style.

However, Benjamino told us that it was very important for a potential client to be looking for specific artists who specialize in the style they wish their tattoo to be, instead of looking around for shops. For example, Yelp gives reviews on specific shops, but not on artists, and Benjamino thought that it would be great if a potential client could browse some sort of gallery or portfolio for reference as well as to get an idea of the different kinds of styles and any associated artist in the vicinity.

User Classes

1. Tattoo Artists - people who, together with a client, design a piece of artwork, and then tattoo it onto the skin of the client. Before becoming a full-fledged tattoo artist, all aspiring tattooists must first take a two and a half year apprenticeship under a veteran tattooist in a tattoo parlor to be able to officially find a job in the future as an independent tattooist.
2. First Time Tattoo Clients - people who seek to have a tattoo on their body, but have had no experience getting a tattoo, and are either unsure of how to begin, or have an unrealistic or incorrect misconception of the tattoo process. They do not necessarily knows exactly what they want, or which artist would be a good match to tattoo them. This people are generally young from 15 to 30, and are probably influenced by mainstream culture regarding tattoos, and might be inspired by TV shows such as Miami Ink on the Discovery Channel, or by tattoos of famous music or movie stars. 

Needs and Goals

1. Education. As both Bobbles and Davidos pointed out during the interview, artists want the clients to be more educated about the whole process of designing the artwork that will then be tattooed onto the clients. Things that the artists want to be known by the clients include:

• what is a realistic tattoo design and what is not
• the long-term aspect of tattoos
• the aging process of tattoos
• the custom tattoo design process:
  • different artists have different workflows
  • large tattoos take longer time to design
  • clients have to go back and forth for consultations
  • artists can work better if clients have a better idea of what they want.

2.  The matching process. The clients, especially novice ones, need a tool to help them find an artist that matches their artistic style and preferences, since artists usually specializes in certain style of tattoo. Similarly, the artists would like the clients to come to them knowing that they would be a good match, otherwise, the consultation would just be a waste of time and the client would be referred to another artist.

3. Both artist and clients need to find inspirations for their tattoo. A desirable tattoos are the ones that have the correct perspective on the body, and unique. Bobbles never reused a design; Davidy believes that the client owns the tattoo design, so the artist should never reuse a design. Things that the artists value in a design:

• Uniqueness--the customers own the design.
• Multi-perspective to fit different parts of the body.
• Bobbles: “Mother nature (real physical object) is the best source.”