To tattoo or not tattoo – that is the question. I’ve always felt that tatoos were a little like ads. This means that your body must be ‘advertising space’ – in the same way – a billboard on the side of the road is, or a page in a magazine is. In that case, as an ad man I should be covered from head to toe in tattoos. The opposite of course is true. If I’m being honest, any time I see people walking around with Tattoos on their faces or necks I am “tut tutting” inside. Is there anything worse than the internal “tut tut”? Even an external “tut tut” deserves a slap – and it doesn’t matter what the person is “tut tutting” about – just land a big fat slap on their puss.

I have a friend with a tattoo that goes all the way up her back and then on to her shoulder and down the top of her chest. It is an exotic floral pattern and it was done in New York – it is really cool – but only on her though! If I HAD to get a tattoo – as in – if me getting a tattoo – halted world poverty or paid back our national debt then I would put a small Raven Design logo on the back of my neck. Anyway that’s not going to happen is it? (Maybe the tattoo, though…)

We still get the odd phone call here in the design studio, usually from nervous people, who go straight into… “Listen. I’ve an appointment there in about an hour, like, to get a butterfly tattoo just above me bum, Listen I was thinking, like, I might come in sometime next week – I’ll call you beforehand” Beeeeeeeeeep. You don’t even get a chance to tell them it’s the wrong Raven. There is a tattoo parlour called Raven in Cork and there’s also a great pub called The Raven. Hay, we could do a 3 in 1 special offer – “Have a few pints in the Raven Bar to loosen up  – commission a unique tattoo design with us Raven Design and then head over to The Raven Tattoo Studio” to be inked – Maybe not.

Blank Billboard on the left – Billboard with ad on the right

Below: The billboard where the ads can only get bigger!