Design

2.1)  Flow and Fit

When approaching a new tattoo design, it's normal for both the client and the artist to first consider the subject matter as being of primary importance. After this is decided, the layout and color scheme are worked out alongside the rest of the details. Although it may seem the obvious way to proceed, this approach tends to neglect the true importance of the flow and fit of the design, which is why it's not unusual to see a technically beautiful tattoo that doesn’t flatter the body the way that it could.

No matter how simple or trivial an idea might be for a design, if it flatters the body, the client will most likely grow old happily with it. On the other hand, tattoo collectors I've spoken to who have the most serious issues with their tattoos almost always complain about them being too stiff, too dark, too high up, or cutting across a body part in a way that feels awkward or unnatural. Such complaints are rarely about the subject matter. When they are, it is often a misunderstanding on behalf of the client who erroneously places responsibility for their dissatisfaction on the subject matter instead of the true design problems.

In a real sense, the flow and fit are part of the subject matter, since they determine so much about how a tattoo conveys its basic message. There are some styles of tattooing, most notably tribal and biomechanical, where the flow and fit are the primary elements of that style’s design sensibility; in fact, these styles of tattoo design derive their basic vocabulary directly from the shapes and forms of the body's structure. A poorly designed tribal tattoo, no matter how sharply it may be executed, will always look awkward; a good tribal design will look nice even if the points are dull and the edges a little wiggly. If the fit and flow are striking enough, the tattoo’s strong design will prevail and these technical weaknesses will scarcely be noticed.

In the tattooing context, flow and fit are two sides of the same coin. Flow refers to the movement and overall from-a-distance graphic structure of a piece, such as how the larger shapes in the piece move along on the body's musculature. Fit refers to the way that the piece feels to the wearer and how it affects the body's appearance, such as how high the collar lines is, or if the piece is bottom-heavy or top-heavy. Flow and fit work together to define the way that the tattoo interacts with the body.

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