CONCEPTUAL OUTLINE

Although there are plenty of amazing artists in the lower mainland, my experiences with piercings and tattoos have been exclusively at shops in downtown Vancouver and that is the area my project will be concerned with.

Getting a tattoo for the first time can be a wonderful experience, but it can also be quite strenuous. With all the different options out there, where does one turn for unbiased advice? Before collecting my data, I asked myself what sort of criteria I would have wanted to know before getting my first tattoo. I also asked a few friends what information they considered most important and read through a few tattoo forums online. These are the questions that I based my data collection around:

-What is the hourly rate?

-What are the shop hours?

-How many artists work at the shop?

-How far from the skytrain is the shop?

-Does the shop do piercings as well as tattoos?

I realize some of these factors do not apply to some people, like those who do not take public transit or those who pay a flat fee for the design rather than an hourly rate. Some people may not care how many artists are in the shop, but for others, this could mean a shorter or longer waiting period. It also gives clients more portfolios to look through and more variety of talent to choose from. The last thing I thought I should consider is if a shop does piercings as well as tattoos. I think this reflects how dynamic a shop is and decided to look at it as a positive factor.

This will be my area of study