Experiment · Illustrative example · Aug 20, 2026
How I designed Inkwell, an illustrative vertical SaaS for tattoo studios
By Oumou
A worked example showing how a focused vertical SaaS, directory and customer academy could fit together.
Find your artist for your next piece.
The Inkwell marketplace prototype.
Open the prototype →The idea
Independent tattoo artists need a simpler way to be discovered, manage enquiries and keep clients informed.
The system
Marketplace → discovery
↓
Studio workspace → operations
↓
Newsletter → direct relationship
↓
Academy → product tutorials
What I built
A working illustrative prototype connecting the public marketplace with the artist-facing product.
What’s real
The interface, flows and working prototype.
What’s assumed
The market demand, willingness to pay and acquisition model.
The stack
Codex
Building and iteration
GitHub
Source and version history
Vercel
Deployment
Next.js
Public directory
Vite
Artist-facing prototype
What I would test next
Talk to independent studios, observe how enquiries are handled today, and test whether the marketplace creates qualified demand.
Skills used
Structured the opportunity and its assumptions.
Connected the product, offer and distribution system.