Code of Conduct

Ralph did my arm piece back in March. It was absolutely beautiful. I was a walk in, but it only took him 30 minutes to design the perfect tattoo from the photos I showed him. They had Tron playing on the flat screen, and Ralph kept me distracted with conversation while he did the work. The piece itself only took an hour and a half. I have a couple other small tattoos, so this was a big step up for me, but Ralph made me feel relaxed and comfortable the whole time. Very chill guy.
To this day, I get a compliment on my tattoo at least 3 – 4 times a week. I love it more than I could possibly say, and I can’t speak more highly of Ralph himself. I will get all my tattoos here from now on.

This was a normal Tuesday and i did my regular Tuesday things. I worked my 9 hours at work and told myself the entire day that i will be going to IKEA once i got off work. The minute i clocked out i thought to myself «Well why not get a Tattoo?», and off i went to get a Tattoo. I stopped at this place because it was the first thing that came up on Unilocal and i did not want to think about it any longer.
When i got here, the guys were super friendly and welcoming. I walked in there not even knowing where i wanted my Tattoo or what I wanted it to say. All i knew is that i wanted a Tattoo and i am going to get one today. Didn’t take me too long to decide what i was getting. Well, i am lying it took me like an hour to come up with something simple, meaningful and good placement.
Thanks Guys!

Everything about Code of Conduct is aces. The space is modern and clean, the artists are cool and funny, and the work is top notch. I came here because it’s down the street from my place, but now I can’t see myself going anywhere else regardless of where I live.
I’ll be back soon.

TATTOO ARTIST WITH VISION!
I was visiting Chicago from California and I came across some of BJStorms work on Instagram. After a few text I came in and the first drawing wasn’t what I was really looking for, but BJ, without blinking an eye, redrew the tat for me no problem and the new one was badass as fuck!
The shop is very clean and isn’t one of those. Tattoo shops with tons and tons of reproduced flash art tattoos. The owner clearly has a vision and eye for talent/​art. Everything from the lobby to the bathroom was curated with a good eye. Every artist I saw that had a unique style that was different than the next.

Awesome shop, upscale environment. They do great work, super professional. They didn’t mind a small entourage that came along for the ride and made everyone very comfortable. There’s some amazing talent at work here!

I was absolutely terrified and they were the nicest, most professional people i can imagine. i would refer absolutely everyone i know.

Love love love my tat that Rafael Corona did. Great atmosphere & great price. I will be back soon !!

Jamie was great! I came in with a design for a foot tattoo (as a walk in), and he told me honestly that it wouldn’t look good as small as I wanted it or in the place that I wanted it. For about 45 minutes, he worked with me on reworking the design and placement, and I’m happy with the end result!

Allie is who I have always seen. I found his portfolio online when he worked at Tatu. I have now followed him to Code. All of the guys who work there are awesome. Jake has done a tattoo for me for Friday the 13^th it is everything I imagined. BJ has tattooed my elbow. It is also perfect.
Allie has done the rest! He has done everything from color to a portrait. They are all still so vibrant years after I have gotten them. His style is very gentle and subtle but still can very much so «stand the test of time». He will do absolutely anything to make the tattoo everything you want. He will draw up anything you want again and again. No matter how small and particular. He is so patient and kind with everyone and it really makes you feel like a friend and not another client.
Code is a great atmosphere for a tattoo. Everyone is kind and fun to talk too. There is usually always a movie to watch or music.
You have to make an appointment usually. These guys are booked up anywhere from a week to a couple months so call in advance! It is very much worth the small wait to get your tattoo done right.

I’ve gotten 4 tattoos from CoC, my wife has gotten 3 and my brother has gotten 1, all from the same artist (Ralph Corona) and every one was perfect. The artists are cool, the place is inviting, and the work is beyond compare. I would, and have, recommend CoC to anybody. Just don’t be a dick and you’ll be fine.

I love Code of Conduct! I made an appointment based on a friend’s recommendation and got a script tattoo. The artists were super helpful and supportive during the design stage until I settled on the final look. Since this was my first tattoo I really appreciated that it was absolutely painless which surprised me, it was done by Jake who did an amazing job. I keep getting compliments on the color and the beautiful clean lines.

Hands down some of the best tattoo artwork I’ve seen out there. These are not just tattoos folks, these are works of art. I love the atmosphere at code of conduct too, it’s relaxed and I know that each artist is going to take the time to make each tattoo perfect. You don’t feel like the artists are rushing on to get as many tattoos as they can get done. You can’t rush a masterpiece, and when I’m sitting in the chair I know I’m going to be taken care of. I have recommended Allie Sider to countless friends, so I also know I’m not just speaking for myself. If you are looking for something beautiful to put on your body, something technical and skilled, than this is the place to go.

I am late to the game when it come to tattooing. I suppose I was just too busy for the last several decades! Over the past several years I have made up for lost time and accumulated several pieces.
I work as a scientist and my pieces tend to be replicas of highly detailed technical drawings. I scouted around quite a bit before finding Allie at Code of Conduct, noticing from his website that he does a lot of very accurate nature drawings. I could not be happier with the work that he has done: absolutely brilliant. He makes the time to plan out the pieces, contouring them to my arms etc, making sure he appreciates the details of the pieces. The most recent is a big reproduction of the Flammarion image (Google the image if your are interested): it is very complex. Allie did a fantastic job.
The level of accuracy and beauty of all finished pieces is remarkable, literally remarkable since they have been a big hit on the science mean-​streets. (For example, one of the fly tattoos has the level of detail that allows fellow experts to identify it to genus: extra science nerd points for that.)
Code of Conduct is a great shop with a cool but friendly vibe, and Allie is an extraordinarily talented artist and a very affable fellow. Easy to get hold of, there when you need him. I can’t say enough about the experience…

I’ve gotten several tattoos from Code of Conduct, all from BJ. The shop is very clean and the atmosphere is casual. They have a movie playing always and it’s usually something I like. The artists all come around and comment on eachother’s work, always positive stuff. Everyone is very friendly there. They don’t have piercers, so that kinda classes the place up. I feel like there’s an expected atmosphere in most tattoo shops, sort-​of pretentious and cooler-​than-​you; Code of Conduct is NOT like that.
I am really happy with the pieces I’ve gotten from BJ. He is really great with color. We talk a lot about the design beforehand and he is good at explaining why something won’t work or what will work better. He was able to work with the terribly blurry picture of my dead dog (I didn’t have a better one that I liked) and the outcome was amazing. It embodies her personality perfectly. His shading is on point. Additionally, I am always able to get ahold of him to make appointments, send pictures, ask questions regarding healing, etc.

Approximately 75% of my upper body is covered in tattoos. I follow a large number of tattoo blogs, have looked through most of the big-​name Chicago-​based artists’ portfolios, gotten work from half a dozen people, and most of my friends have one or more tattoos and similar obsessions with wearable art. And when anyone asks me for advice on where to get a new piece, I only have one answer: «Code of Conduct.» So far, my girlfriend, her friend, one of my best friends, my boss, and another colleague have all taken this advice with incredible results.
The shop:
The atmosphere is clean and bright without being clinical somehow. Workstations are arranged around a large common area so everyone can watch and learn from each other. There’s a lot of hovering and «that’s awesome how did you do it?» among the artists, which I enjoy. The walls are decorated with sketches, oil paintings, photographs, and other forms of art, all of which is created or curated by the staff. With no piercers on their payroll, unlike other tattoo shops Code of Conduct is exclusively about the art (and a touch of fashion thrown in), with less of a focus on walk-​in business and more focus on custom work than some may be used to at other «tattoo and piercing factories.»
The staff:
So far I only wear work by one of the artists at Code of Conduct — more on him shortly — but in the many many hours I’ve spent in the shop, I have seen incredible work spring from under the hands of every member of the staff. Each definitely has his own style and strengths but they all share knowledge, advice, techniques, and a strong drive to constantly better their craft. Plus, they’re friendly, hilarious, and very laid-​back. Because they take their work very seriously (like any artist should), if you’re looking to walk in with a google image of someone else’s tattoo that you think is really cool and want the same thing, this probably isn’t the place for you. If you want an incredible, unique, custom piece of art that requires you to give some effort and forethought, research portfolios and make an appointment.
My guy:
I first explored Allie Sider’s digital portfolio back in 2009 and was immediately jealous of the people who got to wear his ink. Even from a distance, his attention to minutiae and skill with black-​and-​grey were mind-​boggling, and I can personally guarantee you that it only gets more impressive up close. I’m a visual artist and lighting designer by trade, so you can imagine how floored I was to find a tattoo artist that actually thought about light sources and shadows! Allie manages to work in some of the finest, tiniest details I’ve ever seen, his lines are always super clean, and his shading techniques vary from intricate pencil-​thin crosshatching to sublimely smooth watercolor, depending on the piece. He has a very light hand and gets it done without chewing your skin up, so his work heals much faster than others’ (I’m talking like a week, week and a half at most!). Plus he’s a great guy that I can actually have a conversation with for hours on end — and all my friends who wear his work agree. In the five years I’ve been visiting him, Allie has done my entire upper back, a small piece on my left arm, and we’re halfway done with a full shoulder-​to-​wrist sleeve on my right arm. For black-​and-​grey (he does do color sometimes, it’s just «not his thing»), as far as I’m concerned there’s none better. I’ll keep coming back to Allie at Code of Conduct until I run out of skin.

My experience here was perfect, I got a couple tattoos and the shop was super friendly, super clean, played great music and movies. I am super happy with the end result of my tattoos, I would recommend Code to any of my friends and I will be returning for more work in the future. Code has now become my go to shop!
Word to the wise, it is a custom tattoo shop so I had to book, I actually prefer this, they take their art very seriously.

I don’t get inked on a whim. I don’t just walk in and pick an artist on the fly. I certainly don’t let someone put something permanent on my body without thought, consideration, research and dialog with the artist. Code of Conduct is an artists studio — NOT a ‘walk in and get inked and pierced on the spot’ shop. The studio was (and I have to presume is!) spotlessly clean, friendly and welcoming. Allie, the artist I was recommended to by a friend clearly wanted to talk a little before doing ANY kind of work, and we had a great dialog before I even got there. The work Allie did was beautiful, and I’m thrilled. A few people on this page have commented on ‘timeliness’…I certainly don’t want ann artist rushing on my work, and I wouldn’t want an artist rushing on someone else because I was waiting. Ink. Is. Forever. Get it right, and the artists at Code of Conduct are FAR more interested in getting it right than clock watching. There are plenty of places to sit, TV’s, a remarkable selection of VERY cool books (remember ‘books’ kids?) If you have to wait a little… rest assured, Allie and the rest of the excellent artists at Code of Conduct will make the wait more than worth it. A remarkable STUDIO, staffed by remarkable ARTISTS. Don’t bother going anywhere else, and you won’t be disappointed.

Absolutely great shop with talented staff. A personal choice for any ink done. Highly recommended…

I have never gone to a tattoo shop that was opened for business and no one was available until I went to this place. The tattoo artists (I guess) were sitting around acting nonchalant, one even said he was off work. I was recommended to go here but I was turned away. It was only 3 or 4 in the afternoon. Don’t they close at 10pm?
Guess they didn’t want my money or business. But here’s the good news, there are plenty other tattoo artists in Chicago and the suburbs who won’t mind taking my money and the bad news is I’m not able to give a review on their artwork.

My friends and I had a great experience here. I love how they don’t allow you to be impulsive. We came in for a consultation, paid a deposit and came back a week later. Also, there are no cookie-​cutter books of pictures of tattoos. You come in with your idea and they bring it to life.
Jake did our tattoos. He is personable and a great artist.