Dainty Geometric Tattoos Are 2018's Most On Point Trend

If you've been itching to get some new ink, then you're in luck. The artistic powers that be have finally decided which of the 2018 tattoo trends will needle its way to the top this year, and you're going to want to jump on this bandwagon. Small geometric tattoos are making their way to the forefront of mainstream tattoo culture once again. They're tiny, clean, and simple in the best way. So if you've been longing to get back under the needle, but you weren't sure what to get, just take a look at these dainty graphic designs and let yourself be inspired.

Popular tattoo designs have oscillated dramatically over the course of history, yet some trends have boomerang-ed their way back into mainstream culture. The world's oldest mummy, Ötzi, who died thousands of years ago, was found with 61 separate sets of parallel lines tattooed all over his body. TBH, his ink would be right on trend with the current tattoo fads.

Human beings have been adorning their bodies with ink for various physical, spiritual, and emotional purposes through the years, and though the purpose has largely remained the same, the designs have shifted from geometric patterns, to symbols, to full-on portraits, and much, much more. As they say, everything old is new again, and tattoo culture is once again taking a major swing toward the geometric.

According to a Refinery29 interview with celebrity tattoo artist, Dr. Woo, small geometric tattoos are pervasive in popular tattoo culture at the moment. "I have been doing a lot of smaller pieces this year," he stated, "It's been all about these little, thin, geometric things that people want." If the tattoo extraordinaire Dr. Woo has noticed that more and more clients are coming in to request these designs, then you can bet it will be the big thing for 2018.

Geometric designs are so aesthetically satisfying. With their clean lines and predictable, repeatable patterns, they will calm even the most nervous of human beings.

A geometric design can be as simple as a small outline of a heart.

They can also be as complex as a negative space triangle filled with rose outlines.

Geometric tattoos can also serve as a backdrop for more natural symbols in the foreground of the design, like this lotus, line, and diamond masterpiece.

All geometric tattoos have one thing in common: geometric shapes. Think back to your elementary and middle school days when you learned about lines, angles, vectors, triangles, and circles. If the tattoo has elements that are reminiscent of structures you would have seen in your old textbooks, then it may be considered geometric.

Small geometric tattoos are popping up all over bodies, but most commonly on hands and fingers.

According to Dr. Woo, "Kids are braver now — getting more things on their hands because it's less taboo."

Plus, the daintiness of the geometric designs pairs well on small appendages, like fingers. The long, clean lines simply accentuates the length of the finger.

I experienced the pervasiveness of this trend firsthand, when my roommate Ashley came back after her holiday trip home with a symbolic geometric mountain range adorning the side of her wrist.

Ashley didn't even realize that she was en vogue with her tattoo choice. However, that's what true trends do: They effect you in subconscious ways you weren't even aware of.

So if you're on the hunt for your next tattoo, why not opt for a small, geometric design? Yes, you'll be trendy right now, but you'll be elegant forever. These graceful designs haven't gone out of style for thousands of years, so you really can't go wrong.