Have you been contemplating getting a tribal tattoo design? Tribal tattoos of course are a very popular tattoo and have been for the last ten years or so. This trend started out with smaller tribal arm bands but has grown into very large and beautiful tattoo designs that go way beyond the simple tribal armband. However, if you don't know what you are looking for and don't plan ahead you could very easily end up regretting a tribal tattoo design. If you plan ahead and learn a little bit about the different types of tribal tattoo designs and make an informed decision then you are almost guaranteed to love it!

Traditional Tribal

There is no real distinction made in the world of tattoo between the different types of tribal tattoos. However it is pretty clear that today their exists two different styles of tribal tattoos. There is the traditional or old school tribal tattoo. These are the tattoo designs that date back to ancient cultures like the Aztec, Mayan, Hawaiian and Maori people. These cultures were actively involved in the art of tattooing and did it with old fashioned methods of piercing the skin one whole at a time to make a beautiful and large tattoo design. These functioned as rites of passages for the young men and also served to establish the class or rank of individuals in the society.

Today there are still many people who like to get a traditional tribal tattoo design. These are designs that imitate and look like the older traditional ones. This means that the person must pick the culture because they have an affinity for some reason with the culture and then learn about the designs and techniques they used.

New School Tribal Tattoo Designs

New school tribal tattoos are kind of a morphed form of tattoo designs. It take the line work and predominate use of black ink for the old school tribal tattoo designs but then makes new designs and ideas. For example a tribal butterfly tattoo would be a good example of a new school tribal tattoo. This is not a subject people of ancient cultures used to tattoo on their bodies. However you can apply a tribal design look or feel to the modern subject for a great looking tattoo.

If you re considering getting a tattoo in either of these two tribal styles here are some things you want to look for and consider in the overall tattoo design.

Balance

Most tribal tattoos work well and look great because the design overall is very balanced. This means that the design is symmetrical or the same on both sides typically. This balanced look is please to the eye and something the creates interest when looking at the tattoo.

How The Design Flows

Another reason tribal tattoo designs are often so popular and beautiful is because they do such a wonderful job of flowing around the body and curving back under and over each other creating a very intricate and beautiful design.

If you are contemplating getting a tribal tattoo design for make sure you think about what you wan the design to represent and consider if you want an old school tribal tattoo or a new school one. This will help you in communicating with the tattoo artist.