Tattoo type
A friend wants to get "ROMANCE" tattooed across the palm
of his hand. We started digging through specimen books
wondering what sort of serif would best hold up over time.
Old tattoos do this strange sort of shift. It's not exactly like
ink bleed nor loosing focus, but somewhere in the middle.
So how do we compensate? Designers have dealt with
cheap newspaper printing and type for the screen, are any
of those techniques applicable for aging skin? Ink traps
were discussed to prevent too much bleeding. Sharp latin
serifs could eventually erode into something like a soft
transitional bracket? Has anyone had any experience with
this? Or know people whose tattoos remain legible?
21.Mar.2005 7.13am
"A friend wants to get "ROMANCE" tattooed across the palm of his hand."
I'm sorry. I just can't stop laughing after reading that sentence.
21.Mar.2005 8.32am
I learned a long time ago, as a designer, never to get a tattoo...I will never be happy with it. Is it straight, is the kerning off, are the serifs equal... really... I suggest the same to you. LOL
Plus you will always want to change it, modify it, or worse, add to it...
22.Mar.2005 6.30am
"A friend wants to get "ROMANCE" tattooed across the palm of his hand."
ow Ow OW!
If you're stuck on serifs, I'd go with a slab like Clarendon or the like. The thicker forms may dampen the effect. From what I've seen of traditional tattoo lettering, it tends to be thick stems and thin, monoline serifs; a kind of deviant, curvier Bodoni. Not sure if that's a stylistic or practical thing, but you might want to consider it.
22.Mar.2005 6.40am
(really juvenile humour)
Clearly, the only appropriate font would be 'hairy':
http://www.eff.co.uk/M/P/HhrRR.htm
(/really juvenile humour)
22.Mar.2005 2.59pm
I've already yelled at him for wanting (in my opinion) a regrettable tattoo, but he has his heart set on getting "jobkillers." He also has a printer's mark fleuron inside his lower lip. after I got over the initial shock, the legibility question seemed interesting from a print production perspective.
The stylized moderns are classic probably because tattoo pioneers drew that way--more style than utility. Just a guess considering most of those thins turn murky in a few years. Yet people still get them.
Tiffany: there was an interview with Jesse James in Fast Company, FSB, or Inc (one of the business-lite mags) that had a gorgeous gritty photo of that PAY UP SUCKA. A poor quality one here:
http://clantongang.com/oldwest/tgplb0313a.jpg
I'll suggest the Clarendons to him.
21.Mar.2005 8.58am
Robb,
It seems to me that the location of the tattoo would guide in type choice as well. Traps for cheap paper is one thing, but what about the way the hand wrinkles? Seems to me that a sans would be the safest bet, or maybe a semi might be interesting. Another thought could be that it isn't the new tattoo that is considered but the journey it will be on.
Interesting location too. Jesse James has a tattoo on his hand that says "Pay up sucker" in a script.