The most well-known Celtic design is the knot pattern. Celtic knot tattoos are made of knotwork, of which there are two kinds. Pure knotwork is unending, meaning that it connects back to itself, unless it ends in a zoomorphic design such as feet, a head or a tail. It symbolizes the never-ending cycle of death and rebirth. Un-pure knotwork ends with a broken, or ended, strand and does not connect back to itself.
Another common style of Celtic tattoos are Celtic symbols. These include the Celtic cross and the claddaugh, just to name a few. A Celtic cross is a cross with a ring, or circle, around its intersection. There are various interpretations of the meaning of the ring, including the ancient Celtic pagan sun symbol. Other common interpretations of the ring are that it stands for the cycle of life or the Holy Trinity. The claddaugh consist of two hands holding a heart with a crown on top of it. The hands in this symbol signify friendship, while the heart stands for love and the crown for loyalty.
Spiral designs are Celtic designs formed by lines that spiral and twirl in a parallel and typically uniform manner. Maze designs are parallel lines that are not spiral and create a maze pattern.
Celtic zoomorphic designs are images of animals' heads, bodies, tails or feet. They are inspired by those found in "The Book of Kells," an Irish manuscript believed to have been written between 700-800 A.D., which contains the Four Gospels and elaborate Celtic artwork.