The term “tattoo placement’ simply means where on the body you put a tattoo. Placement can make or break your design because even incredible tattoos will look awkward with the wrong placement.
By the end of this article, you’ll know where to place tattoos so your designs flow with the body, which means your tattoos will always look good.
Tattoo Placement Chart: Match Your Tattoo Placement to Your Design’s SIZE
When deciding where to place a tattoo, it’s best to pick a location that matches the size of your design.
For example, a thin piece of script is tiny, and will look great on the wrist, right behind the ear, etc. A huge tribal design or Japanese tattoo with lots of elements will need a lot of space, like the person’s back or upper arm.
Below are our suggestions on small, medium, large, and extra large tattoo placements. In the next section, we’ll show you ideas for tattoos on each body part.
 | SmallThe smallest areas on the body are best for simple designs made of basic shapes. Small areas of the body include:
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 | Medium“Medium”-sized canvases on the body are great for flash tattoos, script, and designs that can fit on a long and skinny area. Medium areas on the body include:
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 | LargeA larger canvas gives you more area to work with, letting you create more detailed tattoos with more elements. Large areas on the body include:
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 | Extra-largeBecause these are the biggest areas on the body, they are the largest canvases tattoo artists have. “Extra-large” canvases are usually a combination of several areas. These allow for extended pieces of work that the artist and client create together. Extra-large areas on the body include:
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Best Tattoo Placements for Women
For large tattoos, many female clients go for placements that highlight the body’s natural curves. For example, a tattoo that starts on the upper or outer thigh and wraps around the hip.
For small tattoos, a lot of women choose a discreet place that resembles wearing jewelry. For example: a wrist tattoo is like a bracelet, a sternum or collarbone tattoo is like a necklace, an ankle tattoo is like an anklet, and a finger tattoo is like a ring.
Best Tattoo Placements for Men
Male clients (generally) choose larger designs. Because of this, you’ll need a larger body part to fit the design like a half-sleeve, full-sleeve, neck, calf, chest, or back tattoo.
Tattoo Placement Ideas by Body Part
Ear
Ear tattoos offer a lot of unique placements - on the ear lobe, behind the ear, or even on the cartilage. These designs tend to be delicate and they tend to be very popular for women who want tiny designs.
Neck Tattoos
Designs on the neck can be bold or delicate. For example, a small tattoo at the nape of the neck can be a small design easily hidden by long hair, while some people prefer a very visible design across the front of their neck.
Please note that getting a tattoo on the neck will require the tattoo artist to stretch the skin over the Adam’s apple area. For some people, this can feel uncomfortable and raise the pain level.
Shoulder Blade
While you can get smaller designs on the shoulder blade, large tattoo designs that almost drape across the shoulder have become more popular in recent years. For example, large floral designs or angel wings are popular designs for the shoulder.
Chest Tattoo
Getting a tattoo on the chest can be very painful as there are a lot of nerve endings around the nipple. However, chest tattoos do give you plenty of space for a large tattoo. Women usually go for more floral designs (sternum tattoos are very popular). For men, the shape of the pectoral muscle often works well for animal faces (lions are popular) or other large symbols.
Upper Arms
The upper arm is one of the best body parts for a larger tattoo like a tribal or Japanese design. Many American Traditional designs naturally have a curve at the top to fit the rounded shape of the shoulder. There is plenty of space and the skin tends to be less delicate than other placements.
Forearms
The forearm is a popular placement for large script tattoos and floral designs. This is also a great place for a first tattoo, as it ranks fairly low on the tattoo pain scale.
Fingers
Tiny pieces of script or super simple small designs work best on the finger. There is not a lot of space, and because we’re always using our hands, the tattoo ink will fade much more quickly than another tattoo.
Upper Thigh
Being so close to the hip, the upper thigh works really well as a sort of “wrapping” design that works its way up and around the hip bone. Floral designs, snakes, and other long and slender designs work well here.
Inner Thigh
This area has a lot of nerve endings and can be very painful.
Ankle
Flowers, quotes, and small characters are very popular designs for ankle and foot tattoos.
Do Tattoo Placements Have Meanings?
Tattoo placements don’t have any specific meaning tied to them. The meaning is up to the person wearing it. For example, some people put meaningful tattoos on their chest over their heart, or they might put a quote about guidance or their foot to symbolize their path in life.
The only time a tattoo placement will mean something to another person is based on their perception. For example, many people will make assumptions about you right away if you have tattoos that can’t be hidden like face, neck, or hand tattoos
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