TATTOO ARTIST · CREATIVE DIRECTOR · PUBLISHER
ABOUT
VERSAGO
I’m Scott Versago, a tattoo artist, creative director, and publisher based in Akron, Ohio. I founded the private tattoo studio in Akron and serve as Chief Creative Officer of Skin & Ink Magazine. My work moves between skin, print, and design, with the same attention to craft and the story behind it.
01 / THE BEGINNING
From Canton
to Akron.
I started tattooing in Canton, Ohio, in the late 1990s. The years that followed took me through the Florida Keys, New Orleans, and San Diego. Along the way, I stepped away from tattooing to play bass in a funk band, then found my way into digital design and visual communication.
By the early 2000s, I was also working in creative direction for technology and media companies. That background became part of how I approached tattooing: thinking through the whole piece, understanding what it needs to communicate, and working out how the parts fit together.
02 / TATTOOING
The work on skin.
My tattoo work centers on realism, portraiture, and large-scale cover-ups. A portrait needs to hold an expression. A larger composition needs to read as a whole. Every piece needs to work on skin and hold up over time.
Corrective tattooing brings its own set of problems. Reworking an existing tattoo takes both artistic judgment and technical planning. One portrait correction brought my work to an international audience after the original tattoo had circulated widely online. That piece became a defining moment in my career, and complex cover-up work remains a major part of my practice.
03 / THE STUDIO
Built around
custom work.
I opened Empire Ink in Akron in 2008. From the beginning, the studio focused on custom artwork and collaborative design. Each tattoo was developed for the person wearing it.
Today, that studio is part of Skin & Ink Magazine & Private Tattoo Studios. The name connects it with my work in publishing, while the focus remains on custom tattooing, realism, and challenging cover-ups. It’s also a gallery-driven space and a creative home for resident and traveling artists.
04 / IN PRINT
Beyond the studio.
At Skin & Ink Magazine, I bring that same attention to the artists and stories behind the work. The magazine was founded in 1992, and its history is part of the responsibility of making it today.
My editorial work centers on long-form features, photography, and documenting tattoo culture. That includes the people making the work now, the traditions they draw from, and the history worth preserving.
Tattooing, publishing, and design each demand their own kind of problem-solving. Across all three, my approach comes back to intention, respect for the medium, and giving the work room to speak.
Have a piece in mind?
Read the booking information, then tell us about your idea using the studio’s consultation form.
