What do you want a design to say about you? Do you wantit to reflect your true personality or do you want it to send a different message? What are you - a butterfly, an angel, a bird, a tiger or wolf? If you are a flamboyant, outgoing personality, you may want to tell people this by displaying a design, which is large, and "in your face". On the other hand, you may wish to tone down your personality by a smaller more discreet design. If you are a little shy, a humorous design could act as an icebreaker making it easier to get into conversations.

Do you want to draw attention to a part of your body in a discreet way or do you want to shout a bold message? Maybe you would like to be alluring - some people say a small tattoo on a woman's inner thigh can achieve this. Maybe you simply want o surprise someone.

Perhaps you have a passion you want people to know about. You may be an animal lover or a human rights supporter. You might want to display a symbol or convey a message that would let others know where you stand on certain issues. You may wish to wear a symbol that identifies you as part of a group that supports your passion.

There are as many motifs and symbols for tattoos as there are ideas in the art world. Designs have become a work of art as more tattooists with fine art training enter the industry. Also the equipment today is capable of intricate work. This has led to hundreds of designs that did not exist some years ago. This means that, in addition to the numerous traditional designs, there are many custom designs. Whilst it does make it more likely you will find what you want it also makes it harder to choose, as there are so many.

When choosing a design it might help to ask yourself some questions:

·What inspires me - what message do I want to convey?

·What gives me strength and confidence?

·What do I aspire to?

·What design is really me?

Take time to choose so that you will feel good about the end result.