Hasta La Ideas

Ever been tempted to ink your mother’s maiden name on your forearm in Helvetica Neue Bold? Imagined commissioning an indelible epidermal etching of lorem ipsum placeholder text to tell the world you’re a type A type nut? Fancy the lyrics of a Smiths song looping around your neck in perpetuity? Such distinctive inkings are the specialty of Ina Saltz (at right). The vivacious art director, designer, and writer continues her exploration of typographic tattoos in Body Type 2 (Stewart, Tabori, & Chang), the sequel to her best-selling Body Type: Intimate Messages Etched in Flesh.

The new book presents lush photographs of more than 200 tattoos—from a discreetly positioned Bell Gothic comma to an armful of Maori creation myths—alongside the ideas and emotions of their wearers. Saltz credits the boomlet in typographic tattoos to “the higher levels of education and cultural sophistication among those now choosing to get a tattoo. And, because we are living in a ‘golden age of typography,’ there is more awareness of the power of the letterform to express the meaning of the text.” In answering our seven questions, she explains the origins of Body Type, her own dream tattoo, and one of the book’s most memorable contributors.

1. How did you come to write Body Type?
I saw an amazing tattoo in 120-point Helvetica (lowercase) on a guy’s arm as I was taking the crosstown bus; I asked him if I could photograph it, and one thing led to another…shortly thereafter, I attended my first tattoo convention, and I noticed that, while there were many books on tattoos, there were none on typographic tattoos (which were the most interesting to me as a type geek). I loved the odd intersection of typography/literature/ poetry/lyrics/homage to the letterform with the edginess and commitment and passion of the tattooed and felt it needed to be documented. Also, I found the stories behind the tattoos to be equally fascinating (as did my readers); I may have been the first to include those stories along with the photographs of the tattoos.

2. What led you to write a sequel?
The first volume became a cult hit, and was sold everywhere from museum shops to stores like Urban Outfitters. Body Type inspired people from all over the world, many of whom sent me fan mail and photos of their tattoos. I had no idea it would resonate with so many different constituencies and cultures. Naturally the popularity of the first volume led to Body Type 2. I am already collecting even more wonderful typographic tattoos for volume three of Body Type!

3. Do you have any tattoos? If you were forced to get a typographic tattoo, what would you choose?
I do not have any tattoos, for a whole host of reasons. Chief among them: a phobia about needles, and the designer’s need to re-design at will; tattoos are very permanent! But if I were to get a typographic tattoo, it would be one which would signal to fellow type-lovers that I am a member of the tribe: an obscure dingbat from a favorite typeface, for example.

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.