Image: Inkgeeks - Facebook
Inkgeeks
Inkgeeks
Inkgeeks is an app, marketplace and social media platform that focuses on tattoo design and other art and the community that surrounds it. It was co-founded in 2013 by brothers Marques Rainey, who handles communications and branding, and Matt Lawson, who works the technology aspects of the website and app. The two became interested in art at a young age when they were drawn to music and the fashion and tattoo styles that went along with it.
What is Inkgeeks all about?
Rainey: It’s where tattoo artists are super stars. We are the home for urban art, all art—tattoos, paintings, murals, drawings, clothing, everything related around culture and music as well, we embody all of that. Technically speaking we are a digital company, we have an Inkgeeks app, and a marketplace where artists, creators, and designers can sell other work that they do besides tattooing, so clothes, drawings, they can sign up on the marketplace to sell all of that. It’s a place where consumers can find some stuff that’s generally not found.
Lawson: Artists are multi-faceted, and we recognized that when we started our journey to Inkgeeks that tattoo artists are not just tattoo artists per say, they do everything he named plus more so we wanted to use our platform for that but also to educate consumers on tattoos.
Tell us more about how the Inkgeeks app works.
Photo: Inkgeeks - Facebook
Tattoo by Matteo Leozappa
Tattoo by Inkgeeks artist Matteo Leozappa
Rainey: When you open it up, the first thing you’re going to see is an artist directory. There’s over 450 artists—lots of local ones, but artists from all around the world. That’s the most important thing– the art and the tattoo artists. Inkgeeks Tatt Chat is on there, that’s our social media platform so you can connect directly with artists, we feel it’s important to get started with that dialog. We have an Ask an Artist on the app, that’s for if you have a general question about tattoos—you’re thinking about tattoos, you’re not quite sure about it—we have active artists as well as experienced tattoo connoisseurs and fans of the culture who can chime in, it’s a community-based dialog.
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Lawson: There’s also an Artist Consult if you’re looking for a tattoo artist in your area and you know what you’re looking for, a description of the tattoo, you can type in the information, and we can match you up with someone in your area.
What advice do you have for someone getting their first tattoo?
Rainey: Download the Inkgeeks app—it’s free. You can get all your questions answered in one place, cause we were all first time tattoo getters at one point. I had no idea—I went to the first artist whose name I heard from somebody, went to a random shop, looked in the catalog which now I cringe even just thinking about that—did all that, so I know from experience that Inkgeeks is a great resource. We recommend going through the artist directory, seeing what type of style you like and finding something meaningful for you.
Lawson: I got a whole personal process I go through, I got to think of what I want and then I think how can I make it different, what message do I want to convey? Then I sit on it for like six months to a year because if I’m still thinking about it then after a year, I must want the tattoo.
What future goals does Inkgeeks have?
Rainey: Somethings we’re working on is expanding the platform, but also working with different partners. We recently had a lot of partnership offers, a few of them we are working with, a lot of them we’re just ciphering through, but we’re looking forward to expanding our partnership base to use those platforms to elevate the artists even more. In 2022 there’s so many different creative outlets—so many traditional marketing strategies that are just kind of old, dying out now, so this is the new creative way.
You can find Inkgeeks at inkgeeksmarket.com and on social media platforms @inkgeekstattoos. The Inkgeeks app is available in the Apple and Google Play app stores.
