When pictured alone, giraffes are often rendered in a variety of patterns, creating a modern and Bohemian look. You are only limited in your or your artist’s creativity, so you really can go in many different directions with the design. Of course, you can even add in more meanings to the design in the way you create it.

Frequently, the phrase “stand tall” is aligned diagonally to create a giraffe, with the addition of legs and a head. The encouraging words are made into a visual pun, playing on the unusual height of the animal as well as its perseverance in the wild. If you plan on getting one of these types of designs you should make sure that the text works well with the rest of the design.

Color is most often used with giraffe images because the animal’s coat is so visually appealing. The vibrant browns and oranges are sometimes rendered as much brighter or in different tones than the natural palate. Rainbow or neon colors are also used to illustrate a less conventional design.

People who want to go with a more minimalist design will sometimes either get their giraffe tattoos done in black and gray ink or as an all-black silhouette. It’s important to note that regardless of the colors, you can use just about any giraffe tattoo meaning that you want to in your design. That’s pretty great for people on a budget or who just want a simpler design.

Giraffe tattoos can be designed in any size, although they are usually used for smaller tattoos, often placed in delicate areas like behind the ear or on fingers. They have that unique shape which makes it very easy to place them in spots where you really can’t place most other animal tattoos. And, as we pointed out before, you can use any of the meanings we’ve listed here even if the design ends up being an inch tall or smaller.

Larger giraffe tattoos generally contain more detail and are done realistically. This is a good idea for people who want their giraffe designs to be their main tattoos. In these cases we highly recommend finding an artist in your area who has a lot of experience doing high quality animal tattoos. An experienced artist will not only make your giraffe look great, but they will also be able to help you make any small changes to the design so it can fit wherever you need it to fit.