Trace magazine - research and strategy by Malin Charlotte Sammerud

TATTOO MAGAZINE

Tattoo Magazine Malin Charlotte Sammerud Student number: 5549CE Three-year BA Degree program Graphic Design & Art Direction Nuova Accademia Di Belle Arti Year: 2013/2014 Advisor: Guido Cornara

RESEARCH

INTRODUCTION

TATTOO STYLES

31 OLD SCHOOL

31 TRIBAL 32 JAPANESE 32 NEW SCHOOL TATTOO HISTORY

11 HISTORY TIMELINE 15 POLYNESIA 17 ASIA 19 EUROPE 21 AFRICA 23 AMERICA

25 27

32 CELTIC 33 BIO-MECHANICAL 33 RELIGIOUS

TRENDS

TATTOO REMOVAL AND COVER UP

INFORGRAPHICS

GENERATION X AND Y

33 LETTERING

TYPES OF TATTOOS AMATEUR PROFESSIONAL

HISTORY OF WOMEN WITH TATTOOS

CULTURAL MEDICAL COSMETIC

SAILOR TATTOOS

TRAUMATIC

TEMPORARY TATTOOS

37 AIR BRUSH CRIMINAL TATTOOS

45 47 49 53

37 SEMI-PERMANENT 38 BALLPEN

54 55 57

SKINVERTISING

TATTOO-INSPIRED PRODUCTS

TATTOOED PRODUCTS AND ANIMALS

39 HENNA

41 43

TATTOO TOOLS AND METHODS

TATTOOS TODAY

SOURCES

STRATEGY

63 65 65 66 67 69

THE HOLE POINT AND MEANING BEHIND MY THESIS

IDEA

GOAL

75 77 79 81

KEY WORDS

MARKET SEGMENTATION

BRAND IDENTITY

69 NAME & LOGO 70 COLORS 70 FONTS

WEBPAGE

GIVE-AWAYS AND MERCHANDISE

SWOT ANALYSIS

MARKETING MIX

ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS THE MICRO ENVIRONMENT THE MACRO ENVIRONMENT

85 87

70 PHOTOS 71

MARKETING OBJECTIVES

MARKET ANALYSIS PORTER´S 5 FORCES

MARKETING STRATEGIES MARKET DOMINANCE POSITIONING AND DIFFERENTIATION

MARKETING ACTIVITIES

SOURCES

Johnny Depp

My body is my journal, and my tattoos are my story.

INTRODUCTION Tradition, trend, therapy or drunken mistake - tattoos symbolize a lot of meanings and there are many reasons why people choose to acquire a tattoo. Tattooing has existed as far back as we have traces of human life. The first tattoos originated because someone had a small wound that was rubbed with black coal from a fire. When the wound healed, a black mark remained and enventually, people learned to use this consciously. Tattooing and tattoos have always been an important part of many cultures and the fact still remains, that the oldest human skin ever discovered, is tattooed. I have been interested in tattoos and tattoo history for a long time and that is why I wanted to make a tattoo magazine for my thesis. A tattoo magazine that is mainly for women, because this does not exist on the market,

and since more women than men have tattoos, there is an interest for it and a place for a magazine like this on the market. In the research part I will write about the origin, history and development of tattoos on the different continents. I will also write about the different tattoo styles, types and methods. I will do some research on Generation X and Y and write about the fact that we no longer only tattoo ourselves, but our pets, furniture and shoes and that it is definitely no longer only criminals and outlaws who are interested in tattoos, we all are. So much so that various industries exploit the tattoo trend and make a lot of tattoo inspired products, like cars, band aids, interior, clothing, even “bedroom toys” with the tattoo style are created. We have tattoo documentaries, like “Tattoo Nation” and reality shows like “Miami Ink”. Tattoos have gone from being assosiated with criminals,

bikers and scary people, to be common, nearly mainstream and genration Y was the first generation who accepted tattoos and this generation likes to express themselves through body ink, but generation X is not far behind and I dare say generation X will soon have more tattoos than generation Y. Eventhough getting a tattoo has become mainstream, the tattoo industry still are not. It lags behind and you can clearly see it on the different tattoo magazines on the market. Tattoo magazines need a fresh start and a modernizing. I found this “hole” in the market, and I wanted to fill it. Wanting a tattoo is considered a primal instinct that all people have, but not all have discovered the need just yet. People will always want to express themselves, to stand out or to feel membership, so I believe tattoos are here to stay.

Tattoo history Here are the exciting and interesting origin and history of tattooing in Polynesia, Asia, Europe, Africa and America.

Timeline

HISTORY

12000 BC

3300

Archeological findings suggest that Stone Age people inked their skin using primitive equipment and natural dyes.

Ă&#x2013;tzi the iceman from the Copper Age is the oldest physical form of tattoos ever discovered.

4000-2000

Tattoo culture thrives in ancient Egypt. Tattooed Egyptian mummies are found from this era.

500-300

Tattooed Pazyryk mummies.

2160-1994

Until the discovery of Ă&#x2013;tzi, the oldest known tattoos belonged to the mummy of priestess Amunet.

1066 AD

1771 AD

King Harold II died during the Battle of Hastings and his body was identified by his tattoos.

Captain James Cook invents the word “tattoo”, from the Polynesian word “tattaw”.

787 AD

1691 AD

1772 AD

The Roman Pope Hadrian I banned tattooing of any kind, even on slaves and Gladiators.

The world’s first exhibition of a human being for entertainment. The slave Giolo, the famous “Painted Prince”, was being shown at English carnivals.

The world’s first circus is held in London. American circuses start touring in the 1800s and become centers of tattoo culture, as in Europe.

1891

First tattooshop in the world opened in New York by German immigrant, Martin Hildebrandt.

The first electric tattoo machine was invented by Samuel O’Reilly, making tattooing quicker, less painful, and more popular.

1882

Nora Hildebrandt(left) was the first tattooed lady in the US., except for Olive Oatman(right). Nora makes her first personal appearance this year.

1939-1945 AD

1846 AD

1911

World War II sees a boom in tattooing as soldiers and sailors line up to be inked.

Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins, the legendary tattooist, is born. He becomes known for expanding the range of available colors.

1970 AD

1995 AD

Texas singer Janis Joplin starts a craze for rock-n-roll tattoos, which helps bring down the curtain on the old school era and opening up for the new school era.

Tattoos gain mainstream acceptance.

1950s AD

1976 AD

2006 AD

American authorities start banning or limiting tattoos. At the same time, moral opposition to circus sideshows is increasing.

The first tattoo convention in the world was held by Dave Yurkew in Houston, Texas.

Oklahoma was the last US state to legalize tattoos. The measure ends a ban on tattooing that had been in effect since 1963.

Polynesia Polynesia is a sub-region of Oceania and contains over 1000 islands, among them are Hawaii, Samoa, Tahiti and New Zealand and they are genetically linked to indigenous people of different parts of Southeast Asia. Captain James Cook was the first navigator to explore the Polynesian Triangle. The naturalist aboard, Joseph Banks, first mentioned the word “tattoo” in his journal: “I shall now mention the way they mark themselves. This operation, which is called by the natives “tattaw”, leaves an indelible mark on the skin”. He used the word tattaw, which meant to strike/knock in multiple Polynesian languages. Cook brought a Tahitian man named Ma’i to Europe and since then tattoos started to become rapidly famous because of Ma’i tattoos. The tradition of Polynesian tattooing started over 2000 years ago, but in the 18th century it

was strictly banned by the Old Testament. In the early 1980s, tattooing started to get a new renaissance and since then lots of lost art were retrieved by the Polynesians. But due to the difficulty in sterilizing the traditional tools, the Ministry of Health banned tattooing in French Polynesia in 1986. The tools and techniques of Polynesian tattooing have changed very little. For a strictly traditional design, the skill gets handed from father to son, or master to apprentice. Each tattoo artist, also called tufuga, learned the craft over many years of serving as a master’s apprentice. They rarely spread their knowledge because of its sacred nature. Tattoos was a way of delivering information of its owner. It was also a traditional method to channel spiritual power, protection and strength. The Polynesians use it as a sign of

character, position and levels in a hierarchy and they believed that a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mana, their spiritual power or life force, is displayed through their tattoo. Polynesian tattooing was the most intricate and skillful tattooing in the ancient world. The Polynesian tattoo style can vary from island to island, but almost every Polynesian got a tattoo in ancient times and the most important representative of tribal tattoos are the Maori, which is called Moko. Tattoo masters are the most crucial people because they bear the meaning of symbols in memory and know how to combine them to create special meanings. Now there are only a few left, so the meanings of the patterns will soon be lost forever. Tattooing was a sacred ceremony in Polynesian

culture. The tattoos and their location were determined by oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s genealogy, position and achievements. All high-ranking people were tattooed. Tattooing was operated by high trained shamans in a religious ceremony. Before getting tattooed, a person should have a long period of cleansing. During this period one would fast and abstain from any contact with women. The head was the most sacred part of the body. The full faced tattoo was very time consuming and a skilled tattoo craftsman would study a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bone structure before starting the tattoo process. Women were not as extensively tattooed as men, but girls at the age of twelve would get one on their right hands, to symbolize their coming of age.

Asia It is thought that the Japanese might be the first people to have ever practice tattooing, or irezumi. Some believe the practice goes back to 10000 BC, but what we recognize today as Asian tattoos started probably closer to 1600, when woodblock tattooing became fashionable – mainly among the lower class. Woodblock tattooing is what is today thought of as traditional Asian tattooing. The original artists had gained their skills on actual woodblocks, and only when it became fashionable they started doing it on skin, often using the same tools. Tattooing is the most misunderstood form of art in contemporary Japan. Demonized by centuries of prohibitions and rarely discussed, people with tattoos are outcasts in their own country — banned from many beaches, pools and public baths. Most blame the Japanese mafia, called yakuza and their fondness for body ink, while

some will trace the roots of negative attitudes to the 17th century, when criminals were tattooed as a form of punishment. Japanese tattoos prohibitions have historically been aimed at the working class, women and ethnic minorities. The history of body modification in Japan dates back to the Jomon Period (10,500 BC-300 BC), when clay figurines were molded with marks that modern historians interpret as tattoos or scarification. The end of the Edo Period (1603-1867) was the golden age of tattooing. Japan was at this time under a military dictatorship run by Samurai´s who had barricaded the country from the outside world and imposed a strict social hierarchy. Tensions were most evident in Edo, modern-day Tokyo, where it helped to give birth to some of Japan’s best-known art, including tattooing. Edo residents keenest to

be inked with tattoos were firefighters seeking protective symbols of a carp or water dragon. It took a cataclysmic event to end this tattoo boom: the uninvited arrival of foreign ships to Japan in the middle of the 19th century. Isolated for more than 200 years, Japan lacked modern technologies and therefore the risk of conquest was very real. It had to modernize, and that fast. To avoid occupation by Western countries, Japan needed to appear civilized and one of the ways to do this was to ban tattooing. The first of these national bans started in 1872. For many generations, Ainu women had marked their faces and arms with tattoos made of soot from the family hearth. These tattoos were believed to ward off evil spirits and ensure safe passage to the afterlife. Given the spiritual importance of the custom, Ainu reacted angrily

to the ban and many women continued to tattoo in secret. In Okinawa, too, tattooing was primarily a female custom â&#x20AC;&#x201D; all adult women bore hand tattoos called hajichi that were made from awamori alcohol and ink. These markings served as talismans and were often connected to the practice of female shamanism. Almost 700 women were arrested for breaking the ban over the following five years. On mainland Japan, only about 500 arrests took place in the 70-year period. The ban did, however, succeed in driving tattooing underground. Official prohibitions against tattooing remained until 1948 when they were lifted by the U.S. occupation forces. Once again, Japanese tattooists were allowed to work without fear of prosecution.

Europe Tattooing was a common practice in Europe long before documented history. Prehistoric tattoos were found on icemen and mummies as old as 6000 B.C. Prehistoric tattoos are believed to have religious and health significance and many ancient European tribes used strength and fertility tattoos to mark passage from boyhood to manhood and girlhood to womanhood. As the European tribes evolved into steadier, less nomadic civilizations, tattoos disappeared. Tattoos re-appeared when explorers in the 1800s returned home from Polynesia and brought tattooed Polynesians with them to exhibit at world fairs and in museums, to demonstrate the height of European civilization compared to the “primitive natives” of Polynesia. But the sailors on their ships also returned home with their own tattoos. The earliest physical evidence of tattoos was found on the 5300 years old iceman, Ötzi, who

is the oldest physical body in existence. The earliest evidence that could possibly indicate tattooing in the archaeological record of Europe comes from France, where bowls with traces of color pigments and sharpened flint instruments were discovered in a cave, as well as in caves in Scandinavia and Portugal dating back about 12000 years or from the last ice age. The Greeks learned tattooing from the Persians and used tattoos to mark slaves and criminals so they could be identified if they tried to escape. The Romans learned it from the Greeks and tattooed “fug” on the foreheads of slaves for “fugitive.” The sadistic Roman Emperor Caligula amused himself by ordering members of his court to be tattooed, while the Greek emperor Theophilus took revenge on

two monks who had publicly criticized him by having 11 verses of obscene iambic pentameter tattooed on their foreheads. In year 787, Pope Hadrian banned tattooing of any kind, even on criminals or gladiators. Judaism and Islam also discouraged tattooing. King Harold II of England had several tattoos and they were used to identify his body after the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

camps were the only camps to tattoo prisoners. Prisoners were tattooed on the chest and on the arms. Only those fit to work were tattooed.

During the 19th, and early 20th centuries tattoos were popular with English and Russian royalties. They were so expensive that common people could not afford them. When tattoos became affordable to the lower classes, they started to be deemed “trashy” until the tattoo renaissance in the mid 20th century.

Ahmad ibn Fadlan, an Arab traveler, wrote of his encounter with the Scandinavian Rus tribe in the early 10th century, describing them as tattooed from “fingernails to neck” with dark blue “tree patterns” and other “figures.” During the Christianization in Europe, tattoos were considered elements of paganism and it was prohibited.

From 1960-1980, the Soviet Union imprisoned 35 million people in camps.And around 20 million of them received tattoos. Inmates caught wearing a tattoo they didn’t earn or deserve could be punished by death.

The Gold Age of tattoos began during WWII and tattooing was introduced at Auschwitz and Birkenau in 1941 and 1942 and these two

Africa The history of tattooing in Africa dates back thousands of years. Until the discovery of Ötzi the Iceman in 1991, the oldest known tattoos belonged to the mummy of Amunet, a priestess of the goddess Hathor somewhere between 2160 BC-1994 BC. The designs found on the mummy, were believed to be symbols of fertility and rejuvenation. The earliest known tattoo that represents something other than an abstract pattern is of the god Bes, the Egyptian god of revelry. These tattoos have been found on female Nubian mummies dating from 400 B.C. No male mummies in Egypt have been found with tattoos, but this does not mean they didn’t exist, as male mummies have been found in Libya with tattoos of images relating to sun worship. Tattoos were popular and culturally accepted in ancient Egypt and as in every other

culture, plants, ancestry, spirits and animals were the most frequent subject of tattooing and are traditionally associated with magic, totems, and the desire to become identified with the sprit of the animal. This were achieved not only through tattooing, but also through bodypainting and Scarification. There are a great variety of tribes and people of Africa and this means that it is very hard to state all the reasons for their tattoos, however, tribal hierarchy, geographical location, spiritual protection, and rites of passage feature highly as reasons for tattooing throughout Africa’s past and present. The tribes themselves often observed strict rites and ceremonies surrounding the practice of tattooing. These range from periods of abstinence from food, water, or sexual behaviour, to rites of passage such as dangerous journeys to prove worthiness of a tattoo.

In africa, where people have dark skin, it is difficult to make coloured tattoos as we know them, so they developed another technique called scarification. This technique has been around for as long as the tattoos have, maybe longer. Scarification is done by lifting the skin a little, making a cut with a sharp tool such as a razor blade, thorn or anything with a sharp edge, and sand or ash is then rubbed into the cut to make the raised scar that feels like braille lettering. Each tribe has unique traditional patterns, the man in the photo on the bottom right corner has patterns that identify his village and clan. He also has black magic symbols to help ward off evil spirits. These different designs often indicate social rank, traits of character, political status and religious authority.

initiation and bravery. This painful process begins for most young males at puberty and continues into adulthood. Today, tattoos are prohibited and very illegal in many arabic and african countries, like Egypt, but it does not keep people from getting a tattoo. Wanting a tattoo is actually considered a primal instinct that all people have. The only thing is that all people do not dare, or have not discovered the need yet. I am not sure if that is true, but one thing I do know is that tattooing has been around for as long as humans have, so maybe the tattoo tradition and the longing to get tattooed is hidden deep within our DNA, we just do not know it.

Many tribe members in West Africa still undergo scaring or cicatrisation as a form of tribal

America Tattooing has a fascinating place within American society. Although tattooing has been occurring in the U.S. for hundreds of years, at certain points within history there have been unfair stereotypes associated with it. The history behind tattooing in America is very colorful and ranges from soldiers in the Civil War, circuses and sideshows, to today’s reality television shows.

reveal tattoos to be a sign of courage.

In 1890, Ward McAllister said about tattoos: “It is certainly the most vulgar and barbarous habit the eccentric mind of fashion ever invented. It may do for an illiterate seaman, but hardly for an aristocrat.” How very wong a man can be.

The early Jesuits in North America testify to the widespread practice of tattooing among native americans. Among the Chickasaw, outstanding warriors were recognised by their tattoos. Among the Iroquoians, elaborate tattoos reflected high status and Inuit women’s chins were tattooed to indicate marital status and group identity.

In 1920 in Peru, Inca mummies dating to the 11th century have been found with tattoos. Not much is known about the significance of tattooing within the culture of pre-Incan peoples. Maya tattooing from the 16th century 23

When Cortez and his conquistadors arrived on the coast of Mexico in 1519 they were horrified to discover that the natives not only worshipped devils in the form of statues, but had managed to imprint them on their skin. The Spaniards, who had never heard of tattooing, saw it at once as the work of satan.

The art of tattooing was sparked in America in the 1800’s by immigrants. It was a German

immigrant, Martin Hildebrandt, who opened the first ever tattoo shop in America. It was set up in New York in 1846. Hildebrandt began a tradition by tattooing military servicemen from both sides of the civil war. In 1891, Samuel O’Reilly invented the electric tattooing machine, making it both easier and a little less hurtful to get a tattoo. He improved upon an earlier tattoo machine invented by Thomas Edison. At the turn of the 19th century Circuses and sideshows played a large role in making tattoos more common place. For example, the photo in the bottom right corner is of Mrs. Stevens Wagner, one of the earliest Tattooed Ladies that performed in the circus sideshows as a “freak” in 1907. They were seen as vulgar, although tattoos were still associated with criminality and savagery. For years tattoo parlors were considered

dangerous and were socially unaccepted, but during the 1940s the social perception of tattoos began to change and tattooing became a trend. This happened due to the large numbers of soldiers in WWII who came home with tattoos for protection, brotherhood and remembrance. One of the foremost “old school” tattoo artist of this time was Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins, who began tattooing as a teenager, and grew up to become one of the most influential tattoo artists that the U.S. would produce. During the late 1970s-early 1990s, a tattoo renaissance occurred that came to be known as the Modern-Primitive movement. The movement included piercers and tattooists who were looking to reclaim tattooing and piercing by looking back to the history of it. The father of this movement was Fakir Musafar and the style being produced in this period came to be known as “Tribal tattooing.”

History of women in the West with tattoos It is a fact that more American women than men have tattoos and tattoos were a trend among the upper class during Victorian times and considered a fashion trend. Nora Hildebrandt was the first tattooed lady in the US, apart from Olive Oatman, who was captured by Southwest Indians who killed her pioneer family in the 1850s, then traded to the Mohave, who raised her as their own and tattooed her face. Then she was ransomed back to the whites and lived out her life as a Victorian lady with a chin tattoo. When the book Bodies of Subversion: A Secret History of Women and Tattoo was first released in 1997 it was the first history of women’s tattoo art. Author, Margot Mifflin, updated the introduction for a new edition in 2001 then updated and expanded it in the third edition because so much has happened for women in tattooing over the past decade: more women are tattooed, more women are doing great work as tattooists, and, for the first time in history, more women are tattooed in the U.S. than men, according to the latest Harris Poll, which show that tattooed women (23%) now outnumber men (19%) in the U.S.) It is important to remember the different ways tattoos can serve as a historical texts that tell us so much about ourselves sociologically—about women’s sense of their own self-determination and body image over the decades. And that goes both ways—it reveals ways we degrade ourselves as well as embellish ourselves. The author of the book hopes the book might help deter a new generation of women from

thoughtlessly seeking a tattoo and even prepare them for the beating society is about to give them about their bodies. She always hoped it would introduce young women to the basics of cultural criticism and raise their consciousness about the semiotics of tattooing before they take the big plunge and end up wearing something forever that may have meaning they didn’t fully consider when they got tattooed. In Victorian times tattoos were first documented among the upper classes in England and subsequently in the US., and they were considered a fashion trend. Women got their legs and arms tattooed with the names of their husbands or with decorative designs that functioned like jewelry. The trend subsided and around the turn of the century, partly because circus women started appearing in the 1880s, and the practice quickly became associated with lower class women. That bias remained for a good century, exacerbated by other factors like tattooing’s association with the military and some of the raunchy imagery that surfaced there. There’s also no longer a tattoo “type” as there was in the 70s and 80s. It cuts across a wide range of women’s demographics. You can see that by looking at famous women in various fields who are visibly tattooed: producer/actress Lena Dunham, author Rebecca Skloot, comedian Margaret Cho, and so on.

Sailor tattoos Sailor tattoos can be traced back as far as the 1700s when Captain Cook came across the natives of the South Pacific, and his crew decided to get tattoos as “souvenirs” of their visit. After that the connection between sailors and tattoos has been non-ending and it has now become what identifies a sailor. However the obscene tattoos did not begin until the early 1900s when the United States government declared that anyone with “obscene” tattoos would not be allowed into the navy. With that declaration many young men went out to get an easy way out of serving, thus creating a boom of these naked woman tattoos. However if they later decided to join the navy they had to have a tattoo artist “dress” the woman. Many sailors designed their own motifs, according to their voyage experiences. By the 19th century, about 90% of all United States Navy sailors had tattoos. During this century tattoos became very popular all around the world. By the late 1880s the custom of wearing tattoos was extended to women, who adopted the tradition. The culture among sailors is rich in traditions. Since its origin, tattoos became a language and a way of expression. A large portion of these tattoos were mementos used to mark important events, milestones, patriotism,

memorials or travels, achievements, rank, status and membership. A lot of sailors were superstitious and therefore lots of tattoos were believed to be talismans. An example of this is the Nautical Start or compass rose. Sailors had the belief that by wearing this symbol it would help them find their way home. The talismans were trusted to ward off bad luck, and bring

in the good. Back in the days, sailors tattooed each other and had to use what they had, like gunpowder and urine for ink. It was thought that gunpowder offered the mystical powers of protection and long life. Popular symbols of the sailor tattoos are dragons, which refer to a sailor that has served in China. Anchors refer to a sailor who has crossed the Atlantic Ocean or the symbol

of stable, unfaltering faith. The reason why you would sometimes see ‘MOM’ or ‘DAD’ across it in a banner, were to give them a reasons for staying grounded. A sparrow refers to every 5000 nautical miles traveled. A fully rigged ship stood for having sailed around Cape Horn. Western European sailors who were at the constant mercy of the natural elements took up the practice of religious designs on their bodies to appease the angry powers that caused storms and drowning far from home. Popeye and Betty Boop were popular tattoo designs in the early 20th century among sailors. Sailor tattoos are a part of the Old School style and one of the foremost tattoo artists within this style was Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins, who became one of the most influential tattoo artists ever in the U.S. During WWII, the redlight district in Honolulu was ablaze with sailors and soldiers and in the center of this was Sailor Jerry; the man most noted for making tattoos an art in America rather than just a souvenir for drunk sailors. Sailor Jerry tattoos include bottles of booze, snakes, wildcats, swallows, motor heads, nautical stars, banners, dices, guns and knives. Franklin Paul Rogers and August “Cap” Coleman have also been known to be pioneers of American traditional tattoos. 28

Criminal tattoos Tattoos are commonly used among criminals to show gang membership and record the wearer’s personal history, such as the persons skills, specialties, accomplishments and convictions. They are also used as a means of personal expression. Certain designs have developed recognized coded meanings.The code systems can be quite complex and because of the nature of what they encode, the criminal tattoo designs are not widely recognized. You could go around with a criminal tattoo without even knowing it. The negative attitudes towards tattoos may come from when different countries used tattooing as a form of punishment on criminals. But also from the mafia, bikers, prisoners and street gangs. The most famous of all criminal tattoos are worn by the Japanese mafia, called the Yakuza. They wear intricate and traditional designs in a full body suit that can be hidden entirely from view by clothes as an inescapable sign of their commitment to their gang. The Russian mafia also has their own tattoo designs and traditions, as well as gang members all over the world, for example the Latino gangs in South America. Across the world, even the smallest tattoos can have significance to the prison population. For example in UK, a single dot on the cheek indicates the wearer as a “borstal boy.” Three dots between the thumb and forefinger prove gang membership among the Latino population of US prisons. Teardrops at the corners of the eyes represent time spent in prison, murders committed, or deaths of fellow gang members. The teardrop is one of the most well-known criminal tattoos.

Though tattooing is prohibited in prisons, prisoners still manage to make tattoo machines out of electric shavers, needles, and guitar strings and ink reservoirs from the barrels of ballpoint pens, melted rubber from the sole of a shoe, soot or ash, and they use urine for sterilization. The marijuana leaf, the number 13 (the 13th letter of the alphabet is M, for marijuana) are popular as are birds (freedom or power), skulls, spiders, roses, snakes, and religious images. Because some white supremacist groups sometimes mark themselves with Celtic tattoos, some people who choose to receive a Celtic tattoo unintentionally get an image with connections to prison life. Many gangs, including the Japanese, Chinese and Latino use tattoos to identify their memebers. It is the same with biker gangs, like Hells Angels, which is the biggest motor cycle club in Europe. The club own a lot of tattoo magazines in Europe and that is part of the reason why the design and style of the magazines are the way they are. Hells Angels are known to burn the tattoos off people who have been kicked out of the club. Tattoos emerged from the underclass of the mariner culture and in time it grew in port districts. Even if tattoos were prohibited from time to time, it did not stop people from getting tattoos, but it had to be done in secret and it was forced “underground”. Consequently, the tattoos were closely related to criminals, prostitutes and gangsters. This is why it has taken such a long time for tattoos to be acceoted in society, because this view on tattoos was and still are there, especially among the older generations.

Tattoo styles OLD SCHOOL This style has been around for 150 years, give or take. They are very Western and Americana in design and are typically done in three parts; one part black, one part color and one part skin. Thick blue-black lines are always used and the main colors are red and green, with some yellow, purple, brown and blue elements. When you do Old School tattoos, you are using traditionalism and Patriotism and the motifs are typically nautical and military in theme. Eagles, anchors, swallows, ships, pin-ups, daggers, skulls, mermaids, women, roses, hearts and banners are some examples of Old School or traditional tattoo design.

TRIBAL This tattoo style consists of very flat and graphic patterns, usually done only in black and they have hard, sharp and thick outlines. This tattoo style comes from different tribes in Africa, Asia, Polynesia, but also from the Viking and Celtic tribes. People like tribal tattoos because they can help connect us to a mysterious and ancient past and culture. These tattoos can include only patterns, but also animals, symbols and so on. Today, tribal tattoos are not so popular, but there still are people who get a tribal tattoo. 31

JAPANESE The Japanese tattoo style has a rich culture, history and allusions to meanings behind images, Japanese Tattooing was all about hand made stuff. Machines came very late to the Japanese Tattoo scene. The tattoos are on a big scale, based on the entire arm or leg or as a full body suit and takes inspiration from mythology,

woodblocks and manga. Japanese are very skilful and subtle in their rendering of body designs and their designs even depict shades and shadows. Typical Japanese tattoo designs are dragons, koi fish, waves, kanji, cherry blossoms, traditional women, pheonix.

NEW SCHOOL With this style, it’s all about freestyling. New school veers away from traditionalism; it’s all unique patterns custom ideas that haven’t been used before. It almost references a hip-hop and graffiti style: jagged edges, bubble lettering. With new techniques, modern equipment, and fresh ideas, the new school style is becoming more and more prevalent. The colors are numerous, crazy vibrant and the outlines are soft, almost non-existing. New School tattoos have a contemporary, animation-like and fantastical in-your-face feeling to them and are a favorite of many younger artists looking for a challenge.

CELTIC The Celtic tattoo style comes from The Celts, who were an ethnolinguistic group of tribal societies in the Iron Age and Medieval Europe. The Celtic style is part of the Tribal style and came from Central Europe.

BIO-MECHANICAL This style is very unique and features robotic parts, working gears and 3D skin illusions. Biomechanical combines the attributes of a human and machine, incorporating it together. The history of this tattoo style is actually traced back to a single movie: Alien. Tattoos that mimic ripped flesh exposing mechanical parts underneath are the most common variety, and are normally placed on muscular parts of the body like the arms or legs. This style is a part of the modern tattoo styles, that has only been around for some years.

RELIGIOUS This style has been used by a great amount of people all over the world. These tattoos were of for example Jesus, Virgin Mary, Buddha, or just a cross. But religious people all over the world disagree on whether the Bible says that is is OK to get a tattoo or not. In Leviticus 19:28, it is written “Do not cut your bodies for the dead, and do not mark your skin with tattoos. I am the Lord.” And in Romans 14:23 it states, “...everything that does not come from faith is sin.” Some religious people say that this means that God has given them a means to judge their own motives and weigh their own decisions. And a religiuos tattoo does come from faith, not sin, that is pretty clear.

LETTERING The lettering style, also called writing is very popular now, and people tattoo everything from quotes and song texts to names and mottos.

Types of tattoos AMATEUR TATTOOS

MEDICAL TATTOOS

Amateur tattoos are made by pushing ink, charcoal or ash under the skin using a needle or other pointy objects, and they are carried out by persons lacking the artistic skills professional tattoo artist possesses. There are a lot of people who do this, and it should be illegal, becuse without the proper education and knowledge you could loose an arm or a leg if something goes very wrong. There is a reason why tattoo apprentices have to wait at least 6 months before tattooing someone, because there are so much you have to learn before that. The most important thing is hygiene. It is crucial in the tattoo industry!

Medical tattoos are not there to be decorative, but incurs medical reasons. For example patients with disorders or chronic diseases such as diabetes can get a tattoo to make health professionals aware of the disease in case of an emergency. Doctors often use tattoos to mark the places where radiation treatment is repeated. After a breast reconstruction operation one can use a tattoo to emulate a nipple. This can also be considered a cosmetic tattoo. Tattoo artist Vinnie Myers are specializing on creating 3D nipple tattoos for breast cancer survivors.

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PROFESSIONAL TATTOOS Professional tattoos are applied by certified tattoo artists using a tattoo machine, popularly known as tattoo gun. This is the type of tattoo that most of us use.

CULTURAL TATTOOS Cultural tattoos are applied to members of particular ethnic groups using traditional methods, and can have both ritual , social and cosmetic features and the methods varies from using tattoo guns and spears to teeth.

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COSMETIC TATTOOS Cosmetic tattoos can be used as permanent makeup, such as eyeliner, lip liner or eyebrow liner. However, because tattoos fade with time, one have to repeat the procedure once in a while to keep the colors fresh.

TRAUMATIC TATTOOS Traumatic tattoos can occur during injury, for example in a bicycle accident, when dirt comes under the skin and stays there. You then can see black marks from the asphalt, gravel and so on.

temp rary tat oos

A temporary tattoo is a non-permanent image on the skin resembling a real tattoo, which can be drawn, painted, or airbrushed, but usually they are transferred to the skin.

tattoo and artists willing to draw it for them. Lee Roller recognized the opportunity when he discovered ‘’tattoo’’ is one of the most searched words on Google.

Old fashioned temporary tattoos, which were first made popular as inserts in bubble gum, were poor quality ink transfers that often resulted in blurry designs and could easily be rubbed off. But these lick-and-peel temporary tattoos became very popular.

The Personal Temporary Tattooing System, called MoodINQ is an alternative solution to real tattoos and commitment. The system allows you to try out something to know if you really like it. MoodINQ is a programmable tattoo system that imposes an E ink grid anywhere on your skin. The E ink grid is like a canvas, and in conjunction with the software included in the kit, you can upload and change the canvas to display your next craze. If you want a tattoo but you don’t know what to get, maybe you are just not ready for a real tattoo, but you’ll always have temporary tattoos.

Modern temporary transfer tattoos are made of ink and glue, and last much longer than older temporary tattoos.

While most temporary tattoos are created commercially for advertising or as novelty items, the process of creating has been adapted to the fine art of lithography as well. And even Tattoos will always be a thing; even more so more recently, Chanel set up a themed area in today as we are striving for creativity and the Selfridges on Oxford Street offering customers ability to stand out. Trends have come and go the chance to have Chanel’s own transfer but being able to design your own tattoo is an tattoos applied by innovative idea that is Lee Roller recognized the experts. This idea was unarguably timeless. advertised as part of opportunity when he discovered Chanel’s Spring/Summer Temporary tattoos are ‘’tattoo’’ is one of the most 2010 collection. a contradiction to the searched words on Google. real thing in many ways Around the 1980s, and a lot of people saw advances in ink and screen printing were it as a fake and looked very down on it, the developed and this made the tattoos last hole tattoo industry did. They did not see it as longer and look more realistic. As tattoo quality an alternative to the real thing. I think tattoo increased, so did demand. People began seeing artists feel this way because tattooing has temporary tattoos as a product that could last been around for thousands of year and when and could be used outside of inexpensive people got a tattoo it was a reason for it. From giveaways. ancient times in different tribes, to get a tattoo was huge and it showed courage and marked Today, temporary tattoos are sold everywhere important events in the person´s life. Everybody from vending machines to check-out counters was not allowed to get tattoos and you had to at mass retailers to high-end boutiques and deserve it to get one. They deserved it because can be customized and printed through a color they were coming of age, were a great warrior laser printer using specialty color laser transfer and so on. It was supposed to hurt. And I paper. think some people feel like temporary tattoos are kind of mocking these traditions. I think More and more people are using this way of this ancient feeling about it is still there, that expressing themselves. It is very popular now, if you cannot commit or take the pain, don´t bloggers, hipsters and others use it and there get a tattoo. If you want a tattoo, take the real are websites that only sell temporary tattoos. thing. But we do live in 2014 and people shoud Some places you can even get your own design decide for themselves. The tattoo will stay they printed, so that you can walk around with the forever, so it is smart to think twice before it´s design on your body and see if you still want to too “late”. tattoo the design for real later. Temporary tattoos are very popular now and it Canada’s Lee Roller had a dream that has became a big trend last year. Bloggers were of now become a successful reality. ‘Custom course one of the first people to try the trend, Tattoo Design’ is the name of the website that but others were not far behind. And it is a connects online visitors with the best tattoo smart idea if you are insecure about the tattoo design artists. The website acts as kind of a you want. ‘tattoo agent’ for clients wanting a specific

Airbrush tattoo Temporary airbrush tattoos are another kind of temporary tattoo. They are applied to the surface of the skin by placing a stencil to the skin and delivering the tattoo ink with an airbrush. Unlike temporary transfer tattoos, the artist can control elements of the temporary tattoo while it is being produced, which is more similar to the true permanent tattoo experience. Temporary airbrush tattoos have been in existence since about 1998 and are largely used in marketing, advertising and the entertainment industry.

Semi-permanent tattoo Why do people want a semi-permanent tattoo? Why is this idea so popular? Because people don’t like commitment! Over 40% of American marriages end in divorce and sometimes you have to live with a tattoo longer than your spouse! So, it is easy to see why the idea of a tattoo with a short commitment would be appealing to many. The fact is, when you insert tattoo ink under the skin, it’s there to stay. It may fade over time, but it won’t just disappear. There is no magical ink that fades completely away after a predetermined length of time. What you’d be left with is a really crappy half-tattoo. You could get a UV tattoo, which is created with invisible ink. It is invisible in normal light but glows under ultraviolet light. But isn`t the point gone, then? 37

Some tattoos applied with a tattoo gun may be less permanent or easier to remove; however, as these involve insertion of pigments under the skin and do not involve the removal or degradation of all materials involved, they can not be considered completely temporary. Some practitioners offer tattoos that they claim to be temporary, lasting for a period of years rather than forever. These are applied using a tattoo gun, and are therefore the closest substitute for the permanent tattoo experience, including the discomfort. These tattoos are supposed to gradually fade away over time, leaving no trace. Some tattoo artists claim that the ink are inserted closer to the surface, allowing them to gradually slough off, while others claim to use special inks that naturally disperse over time.

Ballpoint pen tattoo Ballpoint pens are another known means of creating body art for recreational, decorative, and commercial purposes. Ballpoint pen artists have made appearances at events to draw on guests, and have been hired to provide temporary tattoos for film and video productions. Ink is applied directly to skin in a manner that has been described as similar to that of application with an actual tattoo gun. Folklore suggests that prison inmates modify ballpoint pens into actual tattoo machines, for use while incarcerated, and some amount of gang-affiliated tattoos may have been created in this manner.

Henna

Henna tattoos, also known as Mehndi, are another form of temporary tattoo. For thousands of years this artform has been practiced in India, Africa and in the Middle East, where the henna plant is believed to bring love and good fortune, and to protect against evil. Mehndi is traditionally practiced for wedding ceremonies, during important rites of passage, and in times of joyous celebration. A paste made from the crushed leaves of the henna plant is applied to the skin, and when removed several hours later, it leaves beautiful markings on the skin that fade naturally over 1 to 3 weeks. Besides being the key ingredient in mehndi, henna has also been used to dye the manes and hooves of horses, and to color wool, silk, and animal skins, as well as men’s beards. Studies of mummies from ancient Egypt show that henna was used on the hair and nails of the pharaohs and it is documented that Cleopatra herself used henna for decorative purposes. Wall paintings excavated at Akrotiri from 1680 BC show women with markings consistent with henna on their nails, palms and soles, in a tableau consistent with the henna bridal description from Ugarit. Many statuettes of young women dating between 1500 and 500 BC along the Mediterranean coastline have raised hands with markings

consistent with henna. This early connection between young, fertile women and henna seems to be the origin of the Night of the Henna, which is now celebrated worldwide. Once the henna plant’s cooling properties were discovered, painting the skin became a way for the desert people of India to cool down their body temperatures. The henna plant also have other medicinal properties. It is used as a coagulant for open wounds and a poultice made with henna leaves works to soothe burns and certain types of eczema. In India, where the Henna is mostly used in weddings, the longer the henna stays on the bride’s hand the longer it is believed that her in-laws will treat her well. If the henna fades out quickly, it’s a sign that she will not be happily married. Until the art of mehndi became hot news in 1996, henna was mostly used in the United States as a hair dye. Traditional henna is drawn in delicate patterns of for example flowers on the hands and feet, but modern henna is applied in all sorts of designs anywhere on the body. Unlike other forms of temporary tattoos, henna does not allow for a full range of colors but only shades of reds, browns, and near-blacks.

Tattoo tools and methods Inserting ink into the skin has been practiced since the Neolithic era, which so far has been proven from preserved human remains found during archaeological excavations. As the modes of human artistic bodily expressions vary, so do the methods in which tattoos have been and are still applied. The first tattoo tools was thorns, teeth and bones and the first pins known to be used was found in Egypt and was from around 2600 BC. The following are all tattooing techniques that have been recorded throughout the globe.

Rake and Striking Stick One of the most primitive and oldest methods in tattooing is using the striking stick. Most prevalent in the South Pacific today, the artist uses a tipped rake, most often bone, dips it in ink, and hits it with the striking stick to puncture the skin. The puncture then contains the ink from the rake and over time the consecutive punctures form a pattern. An assistant most often stretches the skin while the artist works on the pattern. This technique has been used to form the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most elaborately patterned tattoos found in Samoa and Papua New Guinea. Soot-covered thread was also used. The thread would be sewn through the skin.

Bamboo Handles Most commonly used for full body Japanese tattoos, the bamboo handle is a way to punt ink into the skin by hand. The handle has about two dozen needles embedded in its end and the tattoo artist stretches the skin with one hand while pushing the needles in and out multiple times to create the cohesive image. This tattooing technique can take hundreds of hours to complete a full body tattoo and most often requires dozens of sessions for each person.

Tattoo Machine It has become a wide spreading standard, especially throughout Western cultures, to use an industry made electric tattooing machine. The needle(s) is placed inside a tube and the tattoo artist uses a foot peddle to operate the device that inserts the needle into the skin between 50 and 3,000 times a minute. Different needles are needed for outlining, coloring and shading, which vary in size and number. Using a machine is the quickest tattooing method, but requires a license to use and handle. A technique you can do using a tattoo gun is the dot technique, where the tattoo artist never draw any lines, he just do dots all the way.

Metal Tube An ancient tattooing practice that has been recorded in Southeast Asia, a metal tube, most often made of brass, has a pointed rod running down its center. With one hand stretching the skin, the artist dips the rod into the ink and punctures the skin in a downwards motion repeatedly, much like a sewing machine. This method has been utilized to create many religiously significant designs revolving around Southeast Asian dogmas. 42

Today, tattooing is recognized as a legitimate art form that attracts people of all walks of life and both sexes. Each individual has his or her own reasons for getting a tattoo; group membership, honoring loved ones, self-expression. With the greater acceptance of tattoos in the West, many tattoo artists in Polynesia are incorporating ancient symbols and patterns into modern designs. Others are using the technical advances in tattooing to make traditional tattooing safer and more accessible to Polynesians who want to identify themselves with their culture’s past. Many religious people are asking themselves the question, ”Is it Ok for me to get a tattoo?”. The Bible says

in Leviticus 19:28, “Do not cut your bodies for the dead, and do not mark your skin with tattoos. I am the Lord.” And Romans 14:23 states, “... everything that does not come from faith is sin.” Many religios people think that means that God has given them a means to judge their motives and weigh their decisions.

Sailor Jerry and Ed Hardy are the artist often credited for popularizing tattoos in the United States, where today approximately one-fifth of the population is inked. Hardy was born in 1945 and grew up in California. He attended the San Francisco Art Institute and graduated with a Bachelor in printmaking. Hardy was a

student of Sailor Jerry Collins and, through his association, he was able to study tattooing in Japan in 1973 with the Japanese classical tattoo master Horihide. Hardy became recognized for incorporating Japanese tattoo aesthetics and technique into his American style work. And in 2004, Christian Audigier took Ed Hardy’s traditional American tattoo work and turned it into a mainstream high fashion line of clothing, making some admirers of the style happy to see the work get that kind of recognition and others upset that one of the more well-known artists of the genre ‘sold out.’ Tattoos and their place in society have changed a lot

attooing oday over the last 20 years. For one thing, they’re everywhere and on everyone. When celebrities and our idols started getting tattoos it became more acceptable. It started to become more mainstream and feminine in the late 90s when Pamela Anderson got her armband tattoo and since then more and more celebrities followed, and so did we. And now it is a real form of art. Body art is exploding in popularity right now. One reason, according to some artists, is that getting a tattoo is now an act of selfidentification rather than an act of rebellion. People are using tattoos as a way of connecting with themselves and the practice has become something akin to religious

experience. Also credited for the surge in body art is the form’s increasing quality and today women have more tattoos than men. Another thing that has changed a lot is that people have an understanding of tattoos now. They put a lot more thought into what they’re getting done. And they come to the studio with an idea, it’s not just “picked off the wall” as it used to be. Tattoo culture has taken on its own life, as seen in the tattoo-related TV shows like Miami Ink, LA Ink, Inked, Ink Master, and America’s Worst Tattoos. These shows have unfortunately become representative of the contemporary tattoo scene.

Unfortunately, because these shows offer a very water downed version of what tattoo culture is, and give no insight into the background. I have talked to a tattoo artist in Oslo and she really dislikes these shows because she thinks this make way too young people want to get tattooed and that since they are under the age limit, they will probably do it on each other at home, and that causes nothing good and the “regret taking a tattoo” statistic will probably increase. Even the fashion industry is on the tattoo flow. Tattooed models are so popular that they are fully booked all year round, while only a few years ago, a model could risk loosing a job being tattooed.

TRENDS

Trends come and go, so does the tattoo trends and much has changed in the last 15-20 years, eventhough for exaple the traditional old school style are really popular now and more people use this vintage tattoo style from the Gold Age of tattooing. We’re going back to the basics, and tattoos are getting more tasteful. In the 80s and 90s the “flash” designs were everywhere and people picked these already excisting designs from books or from the walls in the tattoo parlor, with no or little thought behind it. Later the lower-back tattoos came and a lot of girls wanted to have it, which they can regret now that everybody calls these tattoos “tramp stamps”.

are very healing in the mourning process. The summer is the most popular time of year for tattoos, when people are starting to get outdoors. Most tattoo studios are booked all year round, but there are more walk-ins when it´s late spring/early summer. Trends come in for the summer, then fade out for a bit. Things really go up and down. A lot of “new school” tattoos are in right now, lot of bright colour and with the hipsters getting involved in tattooing, the hands, fingers and knuckles are really picking up. The reason can possibly also be due to the fact that society is a little more accepting towards tattoos. A lot of places that are hiring aren’t too concerned with that anymore. And celebrities now are getting finger tattoos. People get small tattoos here and there and these small tattoos are very popular. Only come in about 1 in 100 will get a big “chest piece” or big sleeves. summer,

In 2014, everything is totally switched around. Tattoo artists do custom work more than anything and a lot of lettering. Most of it is being placed on Trends sleeves and almost everybody that walks into a shop is for the working on some kind of arm then fade out a bit. The tattooer does not have piece. And it’s not so much “flash” anymore — heart with to walk people through the Things really go “Mom” in it, snake around a process so much anymore. up and down. cross — people want custom, There used to be a give-meparticular and personal stuff. this-now attitude, whereas now people are planning tattoos more fully. The Females are getting tattoos in the “typical girl tattoos are getting more artistic. And the artist spots” — ankles, ribs, hips, shoulder blades. always try to put their own spin on it, so the But it’s hard to distinguish the trends in terms client owns it. of art. Everybody gets everything, everywhere. Palms of hands, bottoms of feet, earlobes, The infinity symbol happens quite a lot and a or actually in the ear. Some guys are literally lot of the female clientele tend to get words — running out of room, so they put it on their like “Strength,” “Conquer,” “Believe,” “Faith,” earlobes. — one-word inspirational. But also for example the quote from Lord Of The Rings, “Not all those Some of the big trends coming through are who wander are lost”. feathers, bird silhouettes, and feathersturning-into-bird silhouettes. Women are People want to represent how they feel about getting alot of lettering, more so than guys. something — their family, their life or the They get anything from a couple of words to moment, so eventhough we can see certain an entire paragraph. They often place it on the treds, people really tattoo anything that feels ribs, the tops of the feet or the ankles. Women right for them. Tattoos are getting better all the do lettering more than guys. The “tribal” tattoo time. Better tools, better inks, better artists. The trend is dying down a lot. It had a huge spike artists are not bikers anymore doing tattoos. in the ’90s. The tribal tattoos that are on their They are geeks that know how to draw and way up are the Polynesian style. A lot of people make pieces of art. are also getting memorial tattoos, because they

Tattoo removal and cover up A research team from Texas Tech University visited clinics that removes tattoos to determine who gets rid of them and why. It turns out that people’s negative attitudes towards tattoos is the main reason why most women want them removed and women are twice as likely to get their tattoos removed than men. Other reasons why people choose to remove therir tattoos are because they were too young, they do not like the design or because they picked the wrong placement. A similar study on tattoos from 2006 showed that most frequently removed their tattoos were white, single, college educated and between 24 and 39 years. The survey also showed that more women than men felt socially awkward because of the tattoos. 1 in 4 people between 18 and 30 have a tattoo and of those 1 of 5 are unhappy with their tattoo. Despite this, only 6% remove their tattoos. Today tattoos have become much more common and very popular and tattoos have been accepted in our modern society. It is no longer just criminals, rockers, rebels and outcasts who have tattoos. Now both young and old, women and men, politicians and gas station employees have tattoos. In the 1970´s and 1980’s there were possibly a little shady with tattoos, but today it seems that most people, in every country, know how to appreciate one of man’s oldest traditions. More and more people get tattooed every day.

The fact that tattoos are accepted and that your future employer no longer really care if you have a tattoo or ten. Of course this depend on what kind of profession you are in and how old your employer are. Older people still have a lot of prejudice towards tattoos and tattooed people. I think the study made by Texas Tech University is not correct today, since it was done before 2006. The reason why I thnk that, is that I think women no longer care about the negative attitudes, because there are not many of these attitudes left anymore. And at that time women were not as much tattooed as now, when women actually are more tattooed than men. The study in 2006 are probably more accurate, considering who removes tattoos, I bet a lot of them took their regretful tattoo before they turned 18 and maybe even when they were drunk. Personally I think that you really must hate your tattoo to get it removed, since the procedure of getting it removed is much more painful than the tattooing itself. I totally understand it if you want to remove your ex-boyfriend´s name, but why did you get it there at all? Names have nothing to do on skin, except your family members and children. Of course cover ups can be used for people who no longer want their old tattoo, but want to cover it up with a new, bigger one. Also people who have scars from burning or maybe just a little scar, can cover it up with some ink. Of couse not all scars and tattoos can be as easily covered up as others.

Infographics 45 MILLION AMERICANS ARE TATTOOED

59%

41%

More women than men are tattooed. Said their tattoo(s) made them feel better about themselves.

64%

Average age

By age group 14-18 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-64 65+ 49

22 % 30 % 38 % 27 % 11 % 5%

s 10 % of NorwayÂ´s population are tattooed.

86%

of Americans do not regret taking a tattoo.

1 in 4 people between 18 and 30 have a tattoo.

Of those who have tattoos are 1 of 5 unhappy. Despite this, only 6% remove their tattoos.

Tattoo removal has increased in demand by

32% since 2011.

Women are more likely to seek tattoo removal than men.

70 %

30 %

» “Tattoos” was the third most popular search

term in 2002, according to the search engine Lycos, the fourth most popular search term in 2001, sev enth most popular search term for the year 2000, and the eleventh most popular search term in 1999.

» “Tattoo and tattoos” is one of only seven

search terms to never fall out of the Top 50 Search terms in the 199 weeks since Lycos has been keep ing track.

» Tattooing was ranked as the sixth fastest

growing retail venture of the 1990s, right behind Internet, paging services, bagels, computer and cellular phone service.

» In July 2002 “tattoos” reached its highest

ranking ever, coming in as the number two most requested search term on the internet. “Tattoos” was requested more often than Britney Spears and marijuana.

The word tattoo is one of the most misspelled words in the English language. There are an estimated 21,000 tattoo studios in the United States. At least one new shop opens every day. Adults with tattoos are more sexually active than those without tattoos.

Adults who have tattoos are more likely to engage in riskier behavior.

$ 1,65 billions

$ 150

The annual amount the US spends on tattoos.

Average cost per hour for a tattoo artist.

$ 45 Average cost for a small tattoo.

Lucky Diamond Rich Gregory Paul McLaren, aka Lucky Diamond Rich is the world´s most tattoed man. He is 100% tattooed, including the inside of his foreskin, mouth and ears.

Tom Leppard Tom Leppard, aka Leopard Man is the second most tattoed man in the world.

Krystyne Kolorful Krystyne Kolorful is one of the two most tattooed women in the world’s. She has 95% of her body tattooed.

Julia Gnuse Julia Gnuse is one of the two most tattooed women in the world’s. She has 95% of her body tattooed. Julia began to tattoo her body in order to disguise the effects of porphyria, a disease which can leave skin permanently scarred.

s. oo t t f ta o e on iew d th erati v e s ty’ blish Gen the e i u nd re oc d s ogy p n X a oos a n a l t o on mato erati d tat i t er en an ula op y of D at G nce, p h d oe adem ded t peara o t tat n Ac nclu ir ap e e h ca co t of meri They gh th e A u n do the 004. thro n f 2 s e be nal o y of elve . e s e r v n a u m rv s h he Jo e su s the ressio e i on res ,t xp tud y s 2006 eleph exp elf-e n Ma une f a t id to of s J In ults o t afra form res re no pular GENERATION Y (Millennials) Y a st po Born: 1977-1994 mo Current Population: 71 million

GENERATION X (Baby Boomers) Born: 1966-1976 Current Population: 41 million Sometimes referred to as the “lost” generation, this was the first generation of “latchkey” kids, exposed to lots of daycare and divorce. Known as the generation with the lowest voting participation rate of any generation. Generation Xers were quoted by Newsweek as “the generation that dropped out without ever turning on the news or tuning in to the social issues around them.” Generation X is often characterized by high levels of skepticism, “what’s in it for me” attitudes and a reputation for some of the worst music to ever gain popularity. Generation Xers are arguably the best educated generation with 29% obtaining a bachelor’s degree or higher (6% higher than the previous cohort). And, with that education and a growing maturity they are starting to form families with a higher level of caution and pragmatism than their parents demonstrated. Concerns run high over avoiding broken homes, kids growing up without a parent around and financial planning.

The largest cohort since the Baby Boomers, their high numbers reflect their births as that of their parent generation, the last of the Boomers and most of the Boomer IIs. Generation Y kids are known as incredibly sophisticated, technology wise, immune to most traditional marketing and sales pitches, as they not only grew up with it all, they’ve seen it all and been exposed to it all since early childhood. Generation Y members are much more racially and ethnically diverse and they are much more segmented as an audience aided by the rapid expansion in Cable TV channels, satellite radio, the Internet, etc. Gen Y are less brand loyal and the speed of the Internet has led the cohort to be similarly flexible and changing in its fashion, style consciousness and where and how it is communicated with. Gen Y kids often raised in dual income or single parent families have been more involved in family purchases, everything from groceries to new cars. 1 in 9 Generation Yers has a credit card co-signed by a parent.

SKINVERTISING

Tattoos have been used in marketing and advertising with companies paying people to have logos of brands like HBO, Red Bull, ASOS.com, and Sailor Jerry’s rum tattooed on their bodies. This practice is known as “skinvertising”.It gained popularity in the early 2000s when online casino GoldenPalace.com secured a tattoo on boxer Bernard Hopkins’s back. B.T.’s Smokehouse, a barbecue restaurant located in Massachusetts, offered customers free meals for life if they had the logo of the establishment tattooed on a visible part of their bodies. Nine people took the business up on the offer. Rapid Realty in New York has been offering a 15% pay raise to its employees to have the company logos tattooed on them. Getting scarred for life to get some extra cash is slightly absurd but most of the employees are doing it; 40 employees at the agency have already had the logos tattooed. When it means the difference from $25,000 to $40,000 it is definitely hard to say no. There are no size or placement restrictions for this strange company offer; one employee who was clearly ashamed had hers tattooed behind her ear so it could be

concealed easily. Rapid Realty owner Anthony Lolli pays for the tattoos, which cost up to $300 each. But the owner has yet to get one himself. Karolyne Williams is one of the more infamous examples. In 2005, the Utah mother sold ad space on her forehead for $10,000 to GoldenPalace. com, a move that netted a lot of press for both Williams and Golden Palace. Williams cited the need to provide for her children as the reason for doing it. Williams’s reasoning was similar to that of Mark Greenlaw, who in 2006 held an auction for tattoo space on his neck. The branding opportunity was won by hosting company Glob@t. Other marketing entrepreneurs claim to have made upward to $220,000 off tattoo ad sales and are still peddling space on their bodies. One of them is Billy Gibby, who also legally changed his name to Hostgator Dotcom for money. Gibby’s blog, last updated in 2009, offered advertising prices for “BillyTheHumanBillboard.” Companies grew tired of the trend by the late 2000s. But for those who took the tattoo plunge, the advertising ink on their own skins has outlasted many of the companies they chose to promote.

TATTOO-INSPIRED PRODUCTS From the promo poster of Angelina Jolie in “Wanted” to tattoo-inspired baby clothes and temporary tattoos on the catwalk, our collective tattoo obsession has bled over into a number of different areas of popular culture. Tattoos are no longer merely featured on skin. There are tattooed cars, gadgets, walls, and dishes. The Ed Hardy clothing line’s popularity has reached critical mass, and tattoo-inspired streetwear can be seen around the world. Customers love the edgy feelings associated with tattoos and although they may not want ink on their skin, they’re more than willing to have it on their clothing or products.

Lego tattoos Tattoos are the norm these days, and this new ad campaign for the Extrafine Pilot pen features tattooed LEGO toys. It was only a matter of time. To showcase the super-thin nib of the Pilot pen, artists used LEGO men as artistic canvases. “Tattoo a banana” book Phil Hansen’s clever banana tattoos first caught people’s attention in 2012, when he released a series of photographs showing some truly realistic art printed directly onto banana skins. His new book implores his fans to do the same. Tattoo a Banana not only teaches art lovers how to make their very own banana tattoos, which can then be applied onto their favorite yellow fruits, but also offers directions on a ton of alternative art projects. Hansen is all about coming up with brand new, exciting designs with which to shock the art world. Through his book, he encourages budding artists to follow in his footsteps, helping to ensure that art never becomes formulaic or predictable. For that reason, Tattoo a Banana is probably one of the most original and exciting DIY art manuals of the past decade. Tattoo Band Aids Tattoo Bandages are a neat alternative to the traditional beige band-aid. Made to mimic tough sailor tattoos like ‘MOM in a heart’, an anchor, or flaming dice. Tattoo style vibrators Made by California Exotic, these featured Inked G-Vibe vibrators are pimped with skulls, snakes, hearts and anchors. These Inked

G-Vibes are drawing on modern tastes which are influencing every part of our lives and proving there is no limit to the sex appeal of the modern sex toy industry. Wall stickers Consumers are becoming bored with traditional artwork and therefore looking for alternative forms of creativity. Taking artwork from one realm, such as tattooing, and changing the location is a great way to garner new appeal. Companies should consider how the location of a product alters the meanings associated with this commodity and can be used with profitable results. You can get tattoo-inspired wall decals by getting a few wall stickers with tattoo designs. Tattoo coloring books (for grown-ups) This tattoo coloring book is a great reference for any tattoo fan or as an alternative for your super cool baby. The book features 120 handdrawn images from classic Japan and American tattoo art. Not only can you color it in but you can also write on the empty banners. In it you will see all the classics, such as koi, Japanese monsters, butterflies, snakes and tigers. Temporary tattoo cards Tattly temporary tattoo pieces have become hugely popular for its range of fun and artful designs. Recently, Tattly creator Tina Roth Eisenberg announced on her blog that Tattly would be introducing a new product: Tattly cards, which involve a greeting card with a fake tattoo design.

TATTOOED PRODUCTS Tattoos and skin go hand in hand, but inked designs are also being integrated into more unconventional, non-human surfaces as well. While itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy enough to simulate the look of a tattoo, some of these objects were tattooed with needles, just as youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d actually apply a tattoo as you would to skin. The effect is authentic, unique and long-lasting, just like a real tattoo. There are several great examples of this that can be seen in everything from fashion to furniture and branding, like the choice of a latex packaging for J&B Scotch Whisky, which allowed it to be authentically inked like real skin.

Tattooed leather shoes Oliver Sweeney collaborated with celebrity tattoo artist Henry Hate to have the customers purchase one of its iconic tan-colored shoes and have them tattooed with something completely personal and unique by renowned tattoo artist Henry Hate. The iconic shoes are stunning on their own, but this twist will allow users to bring an extra level of customization to a stylish pair of Oliver Sweeney shoes. After choosing a shoe, shoppers are able to choose three design elements to be incorporated into the shoe tattoo. Tattooed bottles The designers of this limited edition Rare J&B Scotch Whisky packaging concept might have opted to print the labels for the liquor; however, with the aim of creating the visual impression of tattoos, Button Button decided to produce the bottle sleeves in a genuine fashion. 25 vessels were covered in a skin-like latex material with cream color for an authentic caucasian appearance. SĂŠbastien Mathieu of the tattoo parlor Le Sphinx of Paris approached each container individually to give it a unique inked

pattern. The same intricate design was applied to every piece of J&B Scotch Whisky packaging; however, every one has its own distinctive flair from the hands of the tattoo artist. The image channels the early body art of 19th century British sailors for an edgy consumer appeal. Chair tattoos Even if you are not a huge fan of tattoos, this unique hand-tattooed leather chair featuring an intricate artistic skull design is sure to impress you. This incredible clash of antique furniture and modern art was created by Mama Tried studios, which is run by renowned tattoo artist, Scott Campbell. North American society places a lot of importance on individuality, and many consumers are turning to the abstract to differentiate themselves from things they deem commonplace. As such, design elements which some may find off-putting are now desirable due to its ability to displease other consumers.

AND ANIMALS Tattooed animals People have been marking their animals for centuries, but when people started to tattoo their cats, people reacted with disgust and so do I. In 2009 a video went viral on the internet. It showed a cat who had been anesthetized and was undergoing a tattooing procedure. This tattoo wasn’t for identification purposes which has been going on regularly for decades in the US, but rather this hairless cat was getting a vanity tattoo. There have been simmilar cases and animal rights activists are outaged. Irina Novozhilova, an animal rights activist in Moscow, was outspoken in her disgust, decrying the procedure as barbaric and cruel. Unfortunately, cat tattoos seem to be a trend in Russia. Since the trend of tattooing animals for purposes other than identification hit the internet, many more examples have been seen including a man who had the words “Carpe diem” tattooed across his hairless cat’s chest. He had the same words tattooed across his own.

the president of the Humane Society of the United States who referred to the practice as “clearly unnecessary and inhumane.” Many people are finding the practice cruel pointing out the lack of choice the animal has as well as pointing out the painful healing process that occurs after tattooing, which can include itchiness. Anesthesia for 3 hours is in itself a risk to the cats health. People do a lot of stupid things to themselves, and it’s not generally a problem. But when they start doing things to pets, it becomes awful very quickly. Not surprisingly, the idiotic owner is in trouble with animal rights activists, but he sees nothing wrong with the fact that he gave his hairless cat a permanent necklace. As if anesthetizing a cat and marking up her body isn’t bad enough, the jerk also misspelled Carpe Diem as “Carpe Deem.”

Many people have spoken out publicly about the practice of hairless cat tattooing including

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I want to change and give dignity to the tattoo magazine industry with my tattoo magazine. Change it from trashy, tacky and made for men, to modern, tasteful and women friendly and to show tattoos as a form of art. Trace magazine is made for women and it is kind of a revolution within the tattoo magazine industry, because it changes the way tattoo magazines have always been. My tattoo magazine focuses on quality and design and I want this magazine to be the first to think different and to show people the tattoo industry from another side, a new way and erase the stereotypes. I want to make tattoo magazines more mainstream and purchasable for everyone.

NO MORE OF THIS!

JUST A LOT OF THIS!

IDEA I will create a new and unique tattoo magazine that is nothing like the already existing ones. Tattoo magazines on the market are trashy and pornographic and oppressive towards women. They set women in a very wrong light and therefore the hole tattoo magazine industry get this same light. All tattoo magazines are mainly for men, because of how these magazines present themselves. These magazines have no itellectuality and meaning and the design are nothing to talk about either. I want to create a magazine that focuses on history, culture, people and the tattoo, not on nudity and trashy poses. I want it to represent creativity and to be artistic and to shine a new light on tattoo magazines and the hole industry. I choose to create a tattoo magazine mainly for women, not only because it does not exist

and that there are a market for it, but because of all the input my research gave me. The fact that more women(59%) than men have tattoos and it is not a secret that more women than men buy magazines. In America 1 in 5 people have tattoos and 1 in 4 between 18 and 30 have a tattoo. The growing interest for the word tattoo over the years also proves that there are a market for this kind of magazine. The annual amount spent on tattoos in America is 1,65 billion dollars, so you can see that people are more than happy to use their salary on this industry, and it is growing every day. Even if Italy and also Norway lag a little bit behind these high American numbers, we also have a big interest for it. Norway is a very small country with only 5 millon people living there, but still there are a lot of tattoo studios and the numbers are growing according to interest for tattoos and the number of people who are becoming tattoo artists.

GOAL To create a new and different tattoo magazine that will make the people who normally would not buy a tattoo magazine to buy this one. It is very important to me to give new light to the tattoo industry and to show a new side of tattoos and tattooing. To show that it is no longer scary and unknown, but an accepted and popular form of art that are for everyone.

To make this magazine â&#x20AC;&#x153;Top of Mindâ&#x20AC;? of their target groups, which means that when someone thinks of a tattoo magazine, the first name that comes to mind is Trace. I want the readers to think that the magazine has tasty design and layout, good and informative articles and inspirational photos and that they are excited and intrigued to turn the page as see what is next.

Modern Interesting Tasteful Design-oriented

KEYWORDS Informative Inspirational Women Quality

MARKET SEGMENTATION The magazine will focus on demographic, psychographic and geographic segmentation when segmentating their markets, because that is the best way to segment for a magazine, and especially for this magazine. But of course everyone with an interest for tattooing and tattoos, creative design and people who like to have coffee table books and magazine on their livingroom table are the magazineÂ´s target group. Since the magazine is all new and no one have heard of it, it is important to segment very well to know who we will have to reach through advertisements, campaigns, flyers and other marketing efforts.

Primary target group Women, within generation Y (born 19762000), 23-33 years old, student at a university/ college or has a fulltime job within retail or the creative field. She is interested in tattoos, fashion and design and she is a happy and energetic person, who likes to have a lot of things happening around her. She loves going to festivals and travels as much as she can with her friends. It does not matter if she has tattoos or not. She is a creative person with an eye for details and she lives in urban areas, city size does not matter. She is not the most loyal costumer, which is typical for generation Y and switches between different magazines, but if she finds one she likes, she will keep on buying it. She does not only buy tattoo magazines, but also interior and fashion magazines.

Secondary target group Men, within generation Y (born 1976-2000), 25-35 years old, student at a university/college or has a job fulltime. He has a love for design and tattoos and is interested in how he looks, but he likes to look casual. He is an active person who likes to hang out with his best friends and listen to music. Even if the secondary target group also is a part of generation Y, he is a more loyal customer than the women of the primary target group and he subscribes to Trace magazine so he is sure to get it sent home to him every time it comes out. He has tattoos, but how many of how big does not matter. He and his best friend rent a flat together in the city, but he is trying to get his own place.

Tertiary target group All tattoo enthusiasts and those with an interest for tattooing and design.

BRAND IDENTITY Name & logo I decided to go with the name Trace for this tattoo magazine. The reason for that is that it is a positive word and it is quite floating and meaningful, but still abstract; a trace of history, the trace of a drawing. Tattoo artists use tracing paper when they are drawing the tattoo before transfering it to the skin. It is called to trace something when you are copying something, the way tattoo artists copy their design to the tracing paper. The word trace means trail or slot, the trail of history. To me the word “trace” also means that the magazine gives the readers a little “insight” to the fantastic world of tattooing, the origin, the history, the different styles and so on. It took a lot of time to find the fitting logo to represent this new tattoo magazine, but I

managed to create my own font and get a fresh and cool logo. My font is inspired by origami and geometry, which together create the name of the magazine. It is playful, original and modern and can easily be used for creating cool give-aways and merchandise. Since the magazine is all new and no one knows about it from before, it was important that the hole name of the magazine would be represented in the logo, not just an abstract form or one single letter. When the magazine has been up and running for maybe 10 years and it is well-known to its target groups and other readers, it is possible to change the logo a bit and for example only have the first letter “T” as the logo.

Colors & pattern The magazine does not have a set color palette. This month´s color: C: 57 M: 0 Y: 13 K: 0

This first issue will have a turquoise-green color, but the next issue of the magazine might have a light pink or orage color. I choose this color because it is the color of 2014 and it is called teal. The color will be a part of the surprise when each number gets out. And the readers can write sugestions for which color to be used next and then they can vote for their favourite. The places where this issue´s color have been used; logo, the backside of the cover, index, webpage, will change according to that month´s color. On the bottom of each page in the magazine there is a page number, a “//” and the name of the article. The “//” color will change depending on that article´s main color, as you can see in the magazine. I created the pattern by using the “T” from the logo, filled it with white color and used this months color as the background. The “T” will always be white as it is here, but the background color can be changed.

Fonts The only set font in the magazine is the font Fago, that will be used on all articles. The headers will use different fonts, depening on what fits that exact article title or layout. It is also the font I am writing wih now. I choose this font because I think it is easy to read, it is light and more playful and original than many other sans-serif fonts.

Fago Regular ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890

Fago Bold ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890

Photos The photos that will be used in the magazine will appeal to all target groups, but the main focus will be to satisfy the primary target group (women, 23-33). There will be both black&white and color photos, but the most important photo is the cover. It is that photo that will help sell the magazine when it is in the store shelves. It has to stand out from its competitors and shine. This time the cover is of a man, but it will not always be that, even if the magazine is mainly for women. The reason is that both sexes buy magazines when a women is on the cover,

while it is not always like that the other way around. Guys does most likely not like to buy magazines when a man is on the cover. The first cover is of a guy because I wanted to make sure the primary target knows we are “talking” to them and that they are our main focus, but also because I want to shake up the tattoo magazine industry by having a man on the cover, without naked girls surrounding him, showing that this magazine is different. 70

Webpage The webpage reflect the keywords and it is simple to navigate on. The colors that are blue now(logo, headings) will change according to what color is used in the magazine that month and since this monthÂ´s color was teal,

the webpage follows. The site is very inviting and airy and it is nothing like other tattoo webpages and it fits the concept perfectly. It is light and good to look at and it is a page everyone can like.

Merchandise

MARKETING OBJECTIVES

Trace is a new tattoo magazine that will start up in Norway, and maybe later in other countries if everything goes well. The marketing objectives will therefore be set according to the start-up and the following time after.

1. To reach profitability after six months and to achieve an annual growth rate of at least 3% after that.

2. By year five we hope to have a big customer base in Norway and that 60% of all people in in our target group knows who Trace is. But also that the possibility to expand to other countries comes around.

3. By the end of year two, be the most read tattoo magazine in Norway and to have at least 5000 member of the Trace club and 10000 likes and followers on respectively Facebook and Instragram.

SWOT ANALYSIS Strenghts

Weaknesses

• Unique and new-thinking consept that hopefully will appeal to the target groups.

• The staff can be a weakness. If someone say or do something wrong to a reader, the customer will spread the word and it could ruin our reputation. Or the staff can lack important skills.

• Different and fresh logo. • It suits a wide rage of customers. • Tasteful tattoo magazine, which is very rare. There are one other on the market, but it still has some nudity and it is mainly for men. • It is the first ever tattoo magazine that is mainly for women. • According to my research, there are a market for this magazine. • Design-oriented layouts, which make the magazine interesting for not only tattoo enthusiastis, but for designers, creative people and people who just have an eye for great design and layouts. • Not more expensive than other tattoo magazines. • Great webpage. • Creative and knowledgeable editorial staff. • Strong and recognizable logo. • Hopefully it will become a huge strenght that Trace has 10 000s of readers. • Strong distribution network. • Hopefully it will get a good reputation.

• Trace are focusing so much on being unique and new-thinking, but maybe the readers do not want it. Maybe it is too unique, so that our target groups lack interest in the new magazine. • The readership can become quite limited, since it is kind of a niche magazine, eventhough Trace is less of a niche magazine than other tattoo magazines. • The magazine has positioned itself as a mainly a women’s tattoo magazine which further limits the readership, eventhough the secondary target group are men.

Oportunities

Threats

• Celebrities or bloggers with photos of them with the magazine or bloggers telling about the magazine on their blogs.

• Since the magazine is new, no one knows about it.

• Changing customer tastes. • New distribution channels. • Starting an online store where we sell merchandise and a lot of different temporary tattoos. • If the magazine can manage the digital and social media space effectively its customer base will increase. • The range of themes covered in the magazine attracts different types of women within the target group, which we can take advantage of.

• Our target group are generation Y´ers and they lack brand loyalty. • Production could go wrong so that things does not turn out as planned or in time. • The magazine operates in a very competitive environment which contains several tattoo magazines, but also since our primary target group are not very brand loyal and thy have a lot of other interests (not just tattoos/tattooing), so they could just as likely buy a fashion or design magazine. • Lack of interest. • Fail within distribution, transport and production. • Increased competition. • Increase in production and material costs may force a higher product price. • Low GDP, people are not able to use money on magazines. • Changing customer base. • Loss of key staff. • Failing sales and decreasing profits. • Negative publicity

MARKETING MIX Product Trace is a different and unique tattoo magazine that deliver tasty design and interesting articles for their readers and espeially for their primary group, which are women between 23-33 year. The magazine is one of a kind and stands out from its competitors on all levels, except that the main theme are tattoos. Other than that Trace could not be more different from the competitors. There are a lot of tattoo magazines on the market, but they all look like porn magazines that some guys would have in a

magazine bin in the bathroom. The paper is glossy and thin, like Donald Duck cartoons. The focus is on the bodies of the girls, which have some to no clothes on. There are little or no inspirational photos, interesting articles or intellectual insight, nothing. Simply, Trace is a high quality tattoo magazine, with correct views and interesting content, you get a lot for the price, which is nothing more than other tattoo magazines.

Price The price that is set now is what we think the market is willing to pay, and of course the price the company is willing to set to be able to pay costs and still be profitable and successful. If this is proved wrong, the prices will be regulated, but the price is not higher than other tattoo magazines. I would choose a mix of competitive pricing/ going rate pricing and cost-plus/markup pricing. Competitive/going rate pricing means that the price will be set on the same line as our competitors, maybe even a little 79

lower. We will use cost-plus/markup pricing because it is easy to calculate and it requires little information. The first step to determine markup price involves calculation of the cost of production, and the second step is to determine the markup over costs. The markup amount is the selling price minus the production cost. This means that Trace need some other ways to attract their readers, they have to use nonpricing methods to compete. They can for example pursue good customer service, but as we know, Trace have already differentiated itself from its competitors on many levels.

Promotion Before Trace will publich the first issue of the magazine they will try to create awareness and promotion around the publication and the brand. Under marketing strategies I will write down how they are going to promote themselves and which marketing activities they will use. The competitors promote through ads in other tattoos magazines and on the Internet, but some does not really promote themselves at all. Trace will have to differentiate themselves through promotion and to very offensive and proactive and use the different social media very well, especially Instagram. Differentiation

from other tattoo magazines will not be the hardest thing to do, since Trace already are so unique. They will promote different happenings and activities to create publicity and curiosity. But also have a big campaign that promotes the opening of the new magazine and their first publication that gets the targets attention. By doing this, they want to create an increasing product awareness among the targeted group. Trace want to become a recognized, wellknown and trusted magazine in the tattoo industry and within the magazine industry overall.

Place The Trace magazine office will be placed in Oslo, Norway at first and if it goes well or if for example America or Japan is interested we will open one more office in New York, LA or Tokyo. The magazine will be sold in different news stands, book stores, convenience stores and gas stations all over Norway(at first), then maybe in America, Japan or other European countries. Trace have a nice webpage where you can see what is happening, like blog posts to see what is going on at the publishing house, on

photoshoots and so on, but also news, events, ++. They will eventually also open an Internet store, where you can buy old publications and merchandise.

NVIRONME ANALYSIS

The micro environment

Customers(readers) Trace has a big focus on the reader and it is important for them to try and give their readers what they want in the magazine and otherwise. They want the readers to repeatedly buy the magazine and that they are satisfied every time. To try and build a relationship with the customers, they will use newsletters, email lists and maybe even an online “club” where Trace readers can become Trace members, to get invitations to special events and a percentage off on different products. Employees I am not sure how many employees Trace will need, but it is normal for a magasin to have around 10 emplyees who work full-time. They will employ staff with relevant design, journalism and leadership skills, depending on which position they are needed for. Experience is very important when it comes to publishing, that is an essential part of the magazine´s success. This process begins at recruitment stage and continues throughout the employee’s employment through ongoing training, seminars and courses. If a business employs staff without motivation, skills or experience it will affect customer service, the layout of the magazine and ultimately sales. Training and development play a critical role in achieving a competitive edge. Trace will have different internal “competitions” in the office to get higher motivation among the employees. The competitions will be about “Creative head of the month” and “Employee of the month”. Other competitions can involve the readers to vote for their favourite article or favourite layout and the employee that did that article or layout

will win “Designer of the Month” or “Journalist of the month”. The winners of these internal competitions will win a cake, movie premiere tickets etc. Trace will train the entire staff to get familiar with tattoos and its origin, history and development just so they understand why and how tattooing is as it is today. They have know tattooing as a culture and art form. Suppliers It is crucial that the suppliers can provide high quality products at a good price. But also that they can do this reliably in the volumes required. They have to have the flexibility to respond to Trace´s demands. Trace is very dependent on the suppliers. They probably will only have one or to suppliers of paper, and this paper goes directly to the print shop, without Trace looking at it, because the paper type and so on and it is determined before the magazine began making their first issue. Trace is a magazine that is concerned with the environtment and since they are so environmentally consious there is a must that all of their suppliers are as well and that the paper they use can be recycled. The Trace team looks at the relationship between their suppliers as a partnership in which they are working together and helping each other so they both can benefit. They put a lot of work into finding the right suppliers, because if they don´t, it could increase prices and timescales and decrease product quality. Which again can affect the company´s reputation. Quality is a very important part of Trace and they believe that a close supplier relationships is an effective way to remain competitive and secure quality products.

MENTAL Shareholders The founders own a certain percentage in the company, and so does a few people who invested in them to help start the business and they could also sell shares to employees and other people if they want to. The company has few shareholders and that is probably because it is so new and that they are not known. Trace magazine is the founders´ “baby”, so they want to take the main decisions and they want to be the ones “pulling the strings”. Media Trace will use magazine ads and radio, but they will not use TV ads, because it is very expensive. They could have one TV ad just to create publicity in advance of the first issue coming out. They will use big outside posters around the bigger cities, which will be a part of the pre-advertising, but they can keep on using it for every new issue coming out(“New issue out now”-type of ads) We will also try to make the founders of the magazine attend different TV programs and Internet TV performances as often as they can, to create attention, publicity and a little fuss. They will always promote Trace with eagerness and happiness. Every organization need to mange the media so that the media help promote the positive things about the organization and reduce the impact of a negative event on their reputation. Competitors Trace is very different from other tattoo magazines, but of course, they have competitors. The Trace team are always up

to date with what their competitors are doing and creating. The magazine market is a competitive market where there are many companies providing similar products, and the customers have many choices. This means that there is a huge pressure on prices, quality and excellent customer service is essential. Quality has become more and more important on magazines the last years, because many people like to keep their magazines and many collect them. Magazines are no longer a use and dispose product. People even use magazines as part of the interior for decor and so on. In terms of content, not pictures, Inked magazine, Tattoo Life and Tattoo Society are Trace´s competitors. They are simmilar to Trace on some levels, but still, even if the magazine issues are not always sex-fixed, they still are quite often. Other magazines are mainly for men or for tattoo artists. Other tattoo magazines on the market are Savage, Skin Deep, Skin&Ink, Total Tattoo, Tattoo Art, Rebel Ink, Tattoo Couture and Tattoo Revolution. These have similar prices and the same demographical target group, but there are many differences. It seems that there are no tattoo magazines on the market that is only for women, that takes interest in history and culture and there is not a magazine out there that is just a tiny bit not fixed on sex. At some point they have all had a naken girl on the cover. Trace differentiate itself on many levels, also on how minimalistic and modern the layout are. There are no trashy red, yellow and black covers and we don´t show tattoos that are not cool or beautiful. Other magazines show trashy, tacky, ugly, 80s-90s style tattoos. on people that are just as their tattoos.

The macro environment Political factors The Digital revolution is expanding, but it has many issues to work on. One of which is the number of lawsuits it has faced due to copyrighted content. This has led publishers to take an extra precaution as they need to avoid future lawsuits. They demand that freelancers sign away electronic rights or risk not being published electronically. Economical factors Norway is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. According to the International Monetary Fund, Norway has the worldÂ´s 4th GDP and the annual growth rate is at 3.90%.If we were to open a new office in America or Japan, they have a GDP on respectively 6th and 22nd place. There is no secret that there are a lot of unemployment and the economical crisis have taken its place in many countries. But I have experienced that this really does not matter to the magazine industry, just a marginal part. I do not think the magazine industry have seen a lot of the economical crisis. There are different currencies in Norway and in the countries of the suppliers/fabrics, if Trace desides to get some supply and material from other countries and a strong and weak currency tends to affect the exporting of the products globally. The pressure is rising to sell more. Profits on online magazines(e-magazines) are not as high and this means that many magazines are not able to make enough revenue. Technology has undermined the economics of publishers. On a positive note, e-readers help the economy because e-magazines as a supply inventory chain control saves trees in the long run. Digital editions of magazines are also creating an attractive environment for advertisers. Social factors Norway has a unique and particular culture, importance of religion is not so huge any more, the role of men and woman are about the same, and the lifestyle generally is different than other countries in the world. I do not know exactly how the attitude towards tattoos

and tattoo magazines are, but Norway is a modern and approvable country even if it is very traditional in many ways. I think that a Norwegian tattoo magazine will be a breath of fresh air in the Norwegian magazine industry. Religion is not a big part of a typical NorwegianÂ´s life, at least not among the younger generations and generation Y, which is our target group. As I wrote in the research part, some religious people are uncertain about tattoos and if it is Ok in their religion, but since there is not many religious people among our target group, it will not change anything for Trace. In Norway, men and women are on the same line and there is little or no discrimination between the sexes, both at home and society. Things can be a bit different in the city, compared to the countryside. A threat that social networking may impose is bad reviews and therefore have the opposite effect. The audience now have just as much access to media distribution as publishers do. Technological factors Technology has created a society that expects instant results. A faster exchange of information can benefit businesses, as they are able to react quickly to changes within their operating environment. However an ability to react quickly also creates extra pressure as businesses are expected to deliver on their promises within ever decreasing timescales. Technology does in fact play a huge role. Convergence of media is making boundaries harder to decipher. Where do magazines end is one main question and another medium begin. The rise of e-books and magazines meant numerous platforms were created as a marketplace for books and magazines. A problem with technology is that it is forever changing and media companies must always look at innovative ways to lure back those lapsed readers, with the added pressure of other competing technologies. The good

thing about the discovery of new media devices is that it is transforming magazine media audiences, whilst print remains just as important. For example the Internet is having a profound impact on the marketing mix strategy of organizations. Readers can now read a magazine or order magazine subscriptions 24 hours a day from their homes, work, and on the move. Employees and customers have instant access to the Internet and mail through smart phones and tablets. Of course Trace magazine has a website, where the customers can sign up for newsletters, read the blog, see what is happening and becoming a Trace Member. Trace will also be very active on Instagram, because this social media app has really become huge. Technology can reduce costs, improve quality and lead to innovation. These developments can benefit consumers as well as the organizations providing the products. Technology will continue to evolve and impact consumer habits and expectations, and organizations that ignore this fact, face extinction. Luckily Trace is very much up to date and they will continue to hang on to the technological wagon. The last years the social media has also become a big part of the technological factors. But also the fact that new programs and newer versions of Photoshop and other application come every year, and it is a big job to manage to keep up with all the changes that happen, to be able to create a growing magazine that follows what is happening.

Trace could start recycling in the office and to inform and train the employees about the importance of recycling and taking care of the environment. They already use reusable and environmental friendy paper for all the issues of the magazine and the when the magazine subscibers get their issue in the mail, a protective plastic is around the magazine that also can be recycled and it is easily degradable. Legal factors Every business has to follow different laws and regulations. The Environmental Information Law, says that a brand are legally required to inform any customer who asks about the material used in the product they are buying, they have the right to know if the item contain any environmental or hazardous substances. The Employment Law tells the employees about their rights. About for example employment contracts, equality, salary, holiday payments, breaks, training, age, overtime payment, sickness payment etc. There is an anti-discrimination law regarding the workplace and a competition law. Regarding for cancellation rights. It is illegal for companies to provide misleading discount prices and they have to tell the truth in advertising. And as a business owner, you are responsible for ensuring that your products are safe and your employees work in a healthy, safe environment (Health and safety law).

Environmental factors The growing desire to protect the environment is having an impact on many industries such as the travel and transportation industries and the general move towards more environmentally friendly products and processes is affecting demand patterns and creating business opportunities.

MARKET ANALYSIS PorterÂ´s Five Forces Rivalry in the industry The competition in the industry is very strong and fierce. In the modern market it is really hard to attract new customers, and advertising costs a lot. There are a lot of different tattoo magazines existing in the market, although very few that has similar qualities. They try to differentiate themselves in order to find their niche and decrease competition, but nonetheless in every niche there are competitors of different size. Trace is very good at standing out and they have an entirely own idea and niche. Another important factor is the e-magazines, that forces competition because it seriously increases availability of the magazine in any location. Potential entrants There are a moderate potential of new entrants. There are more barriers to entry the magazine industry, than for example the fashion industry. Of course you need some moderate capital. There is no need for huge capital to start producing and publishing a magazine, but there is one to build your own distribution and

to advertise your brand. These activities require money. There are no serious brand loyalty now a days either, so it is a big possibility for new entrants to do well in the market. But of course, there is a lot of hard work behind a great success. The magazine industry is not one of the most profitable, so entrants does not appear as often as for example within the fashion industry. To enter new markets successfully, it might be a good idea to advertise and promote a bit in the beginning to create brand awareness around Trace. Power of suppliers The power of suppliers is also moderate, bacause there are a lot of print shops and paper suppliers Trace can use, eventhough of course some have a higher price and some might not be as skillful as others. Nonetheless it takes some time and money to switch to another print shop/supplier, and when you first find a good one you can trust and that delivers fast, on time and for a good price, it is not very tempting to switch and take the risk. But at the same time uniqueness of the materials is low,

so all suppliers and print shops are more or less the same, exept for for example the knowledge some have that other do not. The print shop are further weakened by their lack of diversity, eventhough they have other smaller cusomers or maybe other magazine customers, they are highly dependent on the magazine industry. Every magazine customer is highly important to their business. Power of customers The power of customers is moderate. Customers cannot really put a firm under serious pressure. Each customer buys a small amount, so the only big threat is price sensitivity and of course the interest towards the magazine. Due to absence of brand loyalty, customers are quite price-sensitive, so that gives them some power. Despite the current global economical downturn, the magazine industry continues to not be affected. There is not a very huge product differentiation within the magazine industry, and also within the tattoo magazine industry are the magazines quite alike. Trace have been great at differentiating itself from

the tattoo magazine crowd, so this means that rivalry within the industry is no more than moderate. TraceÂ´s customers are people from every class, but generally they have relatively high buyer power. Threat of substitutes There are a moderate threat for substitutes for the tattoo magazine industry. Eventhough magazines are being collected and used as decor, the cost for a new magazine is not very high, which means that people can have the money to buy newer editions and other publications. In order not to loose power most magazines have their own websites and it is very important with differentiation to make it harder to substitute a magazine.

MARKETING STRATEGIES Market dominance Trace will follow a mix between the niche strategy and the challenger strategy. The niche strategy With the niche strategy they concentrate on a few target segments. This is also called a focus strategy. The objective is focusing marketing efforts on one or two narrow market segments and tailoring the marketing mix, the organisation can better meet the needs of that target market. The firm typically looks to gain a competitive advantage through effectiveness rather than efficiency.

The challenger strategy This strategy means that they are strong, but not in a dominant position. They will follow an aggressive strategy of trying to gain market share. It typically targets the industry leader. They assess the strength of the target competitor and they find a weakness in the targetÂ´s position.

Positioning and differentiation Trace is a new magazine and noe one knows about them. They have to differentiate themselves well to be able to gain a good position and to get the targets attension. The goal is to make the magazine big and well known in Norway and to make Trace their first choice tattoo magazine. They want their target groups to know they exist and to be very familiar with them. The best way for Trace to differentiate itself on is to focus on their unique product and quality. Product Trace is innovative, unique and new thinking. They delivers a different magazine with good quality products and the correct view of things. Trace has to focus its promotion on these factors to succeed. The layouts are modern and creative and it is not similar to anything their competitors create and Trace has to focus on their uniqueness. 87

Quality Trace definitely has quality. When I say quality, I mean everything from paper type, to design and content, but also the first impression people get when they see the magazine. Trace is very different from its competitors when it comes to this. Even the colors and photos are very different, the hole style.

Marketing activities These marketing activities will help Trace to promote the brand and to help them with their marketing objectives and goals, and it is crucial that they get the attention of their target groups. They need to tell their target groups that they exist and they need to know how to communicate with them. It is important to think about where, when and how Trace can reach them the best way possible. Since their target group is almost the entire generation Y, they should be visible after work and school. Some of the activities they can do are: • Have stands in the biggest cities; Oslo, Trondheim, Bergen, Stavanger and Kristiansand where people can get free temporary tattoos with the logo of the magazine and other simple motifs, and of course they get a lof of information about the magazine.

inspiration.

• We will go around and give away flyers and other stuff, and the flyer contains a temporary tattoo. On one side there will be a little information, and on the other side there is a stick-on temporary tattoo of the logo.

• Trace can host a Fashion&Tattoo show where the models are tattooed; normal people and some real models, to celebrate the human body.

• The people at these stands will wear Trace tee´s or sweaters to promote the magazine even further. Other give-aways can be pins/buttons, pens/pencils, plastic armbands, key-chains and socks. • Some of the bigger merchandise like t-shirts, sweaters, usb-pens, backpacks and tote-bags can be part of small competitions for the people in the stands. • For those who sign up for newsletters and/ or mailing lists, they will get a little gift. While those who sign up for being a member of Trace, get a bigger gift. And finally, for those wanting a subscription of 3 or 6 numbers of the magazine, they can choose between a usb-pen, backpack, sweater or tee. • A competition to win an appointment at a well-known tattoo artist(1st place), a one year subsciption of the magazine(2nd place), two tickets for Oslo Tattoo Convension(3rd place) and a tote bag with various merchandise for the 4th and 5th place. They have to “like” Trace on Facebook and follow them on Instagram to be able to participate in the competition, and to get an even bigger chance to win they can approve to get the monthly email newsletter with competitions, news, events and

• The stands will also consist of a merchandise store where we sell all the Trace merchandise. There will be 15% off on everything in the stand that day.

• At the stands there will also be a tattoo contest for having Norway´s best tattoos. The top three winners, will have the opportunity to walk the catwalk at the Fashion&Tattoo show, they get a spread in the magazine with an interview and photos and other gifts. • Trace will have arealease party to celebrate their first issue, where people from the business will be and Norwegian “celebrities”. For this event there will also be a competition. They will give away special invites to 5 people who will have the opportunity to come to the release party to celebrate with the other special invited. • Stand outside universities and shopping malls, etc, to give out flyers and give-aways. • Have ads in student notebook giveaways and special offer coupons in student calendars, support local sport teams, if/when the money allows it. • Advertise on outside and inside billboards and in different magazines and through websitesa and blogs that our target groups read. • Get an interview on TV station and radio station and a spread in a magazine, student magazines or at least on their websites. 88

SOURCES

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www.nowsell.com www.stephanedeluca.com www.clubtattoo.com www.skindeep.co.uk www.inkedmag.com www.sycfuk.com www.pinterest.com www.studenttorget.no www.gadventures.com www.openstack.org www.boncia.co www.focus-bikers.com www.mbaskool.com www.spyglassintel.com www.studymode.com www.boundless.com

Tattoo Magazine Malin Charlotte Sammerud Student number: 5549CE Three-year BA Degree program Graphic Design & Art Direction Nuova Accademia Di Belle Arti Year: 2013/2014 Advisor: Guido Cornara