Memorias de la piel: Un estudio desde el diseño gráfico al tatuaje en el desarrollo de memoria, narrativas e identidad en adultos en la ciudad de Bogotá

Abstract

This work aims to approach tattooing from a graphic design perspective, to explore how this form of body intervention is experienced at different stages of human life and what it implies for identity and memory processes. Its central focus is on how tattooing and corporeality act as a medium of narrative and memory, fostering the creation of a graphic identity through design, serving as both a means of expression and self-construction. Rosales (2023), in Skin as Canvas: The Art of Tattooing, states that “the body is a personal vehicle that we can modify and manipulate according to our interests, and which becomes a repository of stories and memories” (p. 55). Thus, it can be said that the skin, as a canvas in constant transformation, not only reflects the passage of time but also preserves and re-signifies memories, marking meaningful moments in a person’s life. In this sense, tattooing in adulthood acquires a new dimension, as it ceases to be merely a symbol of personal expression and becomes a visual testimony of the bearer’s story. Tattooing can be understood, from a semiotic perspective, as both an expression and a testimony of memory and identity. It is not limited to a personal meaning; on the contrary, it is shaped within a visual narrative constructed through design. Both what is depicted and how it is represented are equally relevant. Being a permanent mark, tattooing grants new meaning to an individual’s physical awareness, transforming their self-perception, how others recognize them, and thus how they interact with their environment. In the same way that corporate graphic identities seek to embody values, personality, and essential aspects, tattooing communicates deep dimensions of personal identity in both tangible and symbolic ways. Throughout this systematization, we will show how tattooing and corporeality evolve over time and throughout a person’s life from a visual standpoint, exploring how the marks on the skin interact with memory and identity construction, viewed from design in relation to identity as a brand. Each tattoo is a story inscribed on the body, a fragment of personal history that, as it ages, does not lose its meaning but rather transforms alongside the perception of both the bearer and society. It is within this process that memory and corporeality intertwine, as tattooed skin not only speaks of the past but also redefines presence and identity in the present, emphasizing the idea that tattooing reveals, narrates, and is identity, functioning as a symbolic entity of memory carried on the skin (Suárez Gonzáles, 2023). Aging has often been associated with the loss of certain elements of identity. According to Pérez-Rojo (2009), older adults go through an “identity crisis where a series of losses can deteriorate self-esteem,” which reaffirms the idea that old age involves not only biological changes but also challenges in the construction and preservation of identity. In the case of tattooed individuals, the permanence of these marks can represent a form of resistance to stereotypes of old age. Pirotto (2023) mentions that older women with tattoos use this art as a form of subjective expression, thereby opposing traditional social representations of aging and, at the same time, reaffirming their personal identity. This view is supported by an article in PlusLiving (2024), which states that there is a misconception that older people are conservative and set in their ways, but many proudly display their tattoos, challenging outdated stereotypes and redefining what it means to grow old. Throughout this document, we will explore the evolution of tattooing in different contexts and generations, addressing its role in both individual and collective memory. We will also analyze how corporeality influences the perception of tattooing over time, from both the perspective of the wearer and of those who create this art. In doing so, we aim not only to understand tattooing as an aesthetic manifestation but also as a phenomenon loaded with meaning that transcends time—a development of graphic identity that reflects a process of self-signification and self-recognition, memory, and identity construction over time. From a design standpoint, this graphic act inscribed on the skin provides the opportunity to link experiences and emotions into permanent graphic forms, where each line corresponds to a communicative intention and the desire to integrate experiences into a visual narrative that transforms the individual.