Compass turtle

Design Story

Manuel asked for a tattoo of a turtle with a compass being its shell and incorporating the initial letters of his family members.

The meaning of the tattoo is family as a reference place to go back to after every travel.

To better integrate the letters into the tattoo, inspired by the connection to travels and long distances, we thought of having them included as Morse codes, written along the directions of the compass from the center outwards:

• _ _ (M)
• . _ (A)
• ... (S)
• _ (T)

Other elements we used are the seagull for voyage and safe return, a manta for freedom and protection, also symbolized by the tiki, and shark teeth for adaptability and strength.