Brief  for the Final Design Project (Final Part)

The Target Audience and The Market

Market’s Demographics & Psychographics

According to the discipline made by Alex Reinke(Horikitsune aka), it is only allow people in age above 21 to wear his works. So it does similar as Horiyoshi III. Hence, it is better to strict with the age limits on 21, for the reason that it is considered as a grown adult when  people meet this age in Japanese cultural tradition. 

Secondly, the gender will not be a crucial matter. The priority consideration should be the taste, view and the attitudes upon Horiyoshi genre and Japanese traditional tattoos.
It is important that the members within the club are truly in love with Horiyoshi genre and interesting in Japanese traditional culture. Having a open mind to welcome the different culture and tradition will make the club more international welcomed. Moreover, it needs a right attitude to face the Japanese traditional spirit spreading from Horiyoshi genre’s tattoos. To respect it with a frank and humble attitude will help the club stay in clam and be communicable to the outsiders.

 

Speaking to the geography and lifestyle aspects for the members, it is not set in details. To name one specific, the club prefers the people who loves tattooing and is living a life in a good quality at the same time, and has outstanding individuality to join. Because, eventually, the club’s main goal is to spread out the peaceful, humble and frank spirits through Japanese traditional tattoos, but not the violent and impulsive motivators.  

 

*The Irezumi Club of Japan in the early 1980s.

The Competitor

In the research, there is no such similar club type as totally the same as my project tending to be. Most of them are formed in tattoo studios or workshops. The number of them is huge. Only around the old street area in London, it feels there are tons of tattoo studios here and there. In business, they are more focusing on tattooing on customers’ body by following the orders. Some of them have a group of supporters, and they may join each others for parties or activities, but not formally organized and without any serious themes or goals.

In the similarities as the club I planed, the International London Tattoo Convention will be the biggest and best example to compete with.

It is considered as a reference or a model more than a competitor for the club I launched to the International London Tattoo Convention.  As a case study, I research a lot of information about the convention as follows:

Founded: Since 2005.
Organizer: the global Tattoo Life Publication

Host:
2005, Biohazard main man Evan Seinfeld, and his wife Tera Patrick
Unknown and not clear for the years following.

Location: TOBACCO DOCK, 50 PORTERS WALK - WAPPING LONDON E1W 2SF

In 1990 the building was converted into a shopping centre which had cost £47 million to develop and was intended to create the Covent Garden of the East End but the scheme was unsuccessful and it went into administration. The property is not in a major retail area and has only moderately good public transport access.

The whole building is occasionally used for large scale corporate events such as the Vodafone and ABN AMRO 2005 annual staff 'party'. In early 2004, part of the building was used as the studios of the Channel 4 reality television show Shattered. Several after-première parties for films have been held there. Scenes in Episode 6 of 2008 BBC One drama Ashes to Ashes were filmed at Tobacco Dock.

In the first three editions of the convention, the enormous flow of visitors forced the organizers to reconsider the spaces and the first new element of 2007 edition was the new location, the event has continued to go from strength to strength. After three years at the Old Truman Brewery in Brick Lane, the convention was moved to Tobacco Dock And now, the International London Tattoo Convention has been hold here every year following.

Opening Times: always holds over three days at summer weekend  9.23-9.25, 2011
                            (previously on 11.28-11.30, 2010)

It is the seventh edition year of the International London Tattoo Convention being hold at Tobacco Dock London.

Organized: Mainly by stalls for different purpose, services like studio tattooing use, clothes retails, collection sale, bars and performances. 

Visitors:
It is said that there are more than 20,000 visitors for the 2009 and 2010 convention with increasing media interest.

The press:
Since 2005 the press released a big page introducing the event of tattoo convention including the Independent, the Times, the press pays more and more concern about the every year convention nowadays.

Sponsor: Most of sponsors come from the specific magazines or publications focusing on tattoo realm, the relative retailers, independent company, communities.

Posters releasted:

2005

 

2006

 

2007

 

2008

 

2009

 

2010

 

2011

Analysis and Final Conclusion:

In the scale of the convention, it is not good for a new born club to compete with. The club focus on the Horiyoshi’s adherents but not as wide as the Intentional London Tattoo Convention. However, it is good for the club to avoid the difficulties as the convention will face, like the massive organization demands from not only the visitors but also the participators. Furthermore, making sure so many high skills tattooists to attend the events and keeping the events running itself already are all big challenges to the holder. 

Speaking the holder of the convention, it is not easy to find out. At the beginning, it is only found once in the press that it was hosted by Evan Seinfeld and his wife Tera Patrick at the first edition of the convention. Nothing more commons comes out about the institution holding the convention until it is found from the source of the official face-book page. Obviously, this independent publication holder concerns well on the convention better than advertising for its own publication. Eventually, it is well known by this convention as it is its primary promoter.

Considering the theme of the convention, it is different year by year, but mainly participates by the artists from Europe area. Only a few of Japanese and Chinese studios are invited. Therefore, the priority style is the european in the convention, even though there are more and more oversea tattoo studios got a chance to join. Furthermore, the lack of knowledge about the traditional cultual believes and understandings have limited the convention extending to the Asian tattoo art world. This will be the opportunity for this club to rise up in Europe with its particular asian personality.

Hence, the International London Tattoo Convention has its own advantages, however at the same time it also has its disadvantages for its big scale and limited focused areas. My club can use the small but flexible scale of community form to stand up in UK, and gain a good place in the european tattoo society with its special asian characters.