Product Description

Body Type is an eye-opening look into the amazingly creative ways that tattoo artists are utilizing typography. Whereas the majority of tattoo art uses images to convey messages, here the message actually is the image. Twenty-six alphabetical characters might not seem like much to work with, but a look through these photographs reveals the contrary. Here are truly unique social commentaries, expressions of love, hilarious examples of biting satire, plus some mottos, intricate logotypes, deeply personal song lyrics, and, of course, those tattoos that exist for one reason only: to shock the hell out of you. The crisp photographs are accompanied by an insightful commentary from renowned graphic designer and typographer Ina Saltz, plus consistently surprising and heartfelt explanations from the tattooed.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #266271 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 192 pages

About the Author
Ina Saltz is an art director, designer, writer, and professor whose areas of expertise are typography and magazine design. She’s a regular columnist for STEP Inside Design magazine and writes for other design magazines, including Graphis.

Wendi Koontz has illustrated for many periodicals, including The New York Times, New York Press, and Girl’s Life magazine. She also lives in New York City.

Customer Reviews

Very nice, though some of the photographs could have been done better
Ina Saltz, Body Type: Intimate Messages Etched in Flesh (Abrams Image, 2006)

The idea of an all-text tattoo is brilliant. I can't believe I never thought of it. A lot of people, however, have, and Ina Saltz has made a project out of documenting these tattoos. The result (at least, up till now) is Body Type, a fine book of photography depicting these tattoos, with the expected short captions containing explanations by the owners of the tattoos about their reasons for getting them. (These are, at times, unintentionally hilarious.)

As enamored as I am of the idea behind the book, I'm not as much so where some of the actual photographs are concerned. Many of them are nicely done, but there are a few that just don't work; too dark, too light, too washed out, too something, depending on the photograph. Not a good thing in a book of photography, one thinks. Still, there are enough good photographs here depicting such an excellent idea that it's still worth your time. *** ½

Body Type - great work, good ideas
This book has thousands of clearly photographed tattoos for inspiration, they may also serve as a "What not to get" sample.

Amazing book of tattoos of text
If you are into typography, the personal meanings of words, or tattoos, this is an excellent book. The photos focus on the words, not the people wearing them, but the descriptions of the tattoos from the owners bring it back to the people. There are also a few discussions about typeface choices that show that at least some of the owners really thought about it.