In this process and production lesson we were focusing on zines.
Zines are cheaply made and cheaply priced publications which are normally small and self published and distributed. The production of these publications are not usually money orientated and sit outside of the mainstream with content generally being lighthearted.
The appeal of this output is its portable, tactile and is a strong display of DIY culture.
Below shows the process of folding this small booklet. An a4 piece of paper was used, and was folded precisely in to 8 equal rectangles. When folded in half width-ways, a cut is then made on the folded edge in to the centre fold. This allows for the folds to pull and shape the paper in to a functional zine with pages.
We were then instructed to add the content to each page. It was important to number and plan out each page of the design as some pages would be upside down when assembled. The content was partially given as we were told to illustrate the word;
- share
- live
- like
- minimize
- update
- off
- and use an emoticon
Below shows my designs. I chose to explore typography options and use these words within quotes. It therefore kind of acts as an inspirational booklet with uplifting messages.
Above shows the assembled booklet using a fine liner and marker pen to add depth and interest to the quotes. This was quite a tedious process, especially when filling in background colour- however the effect of contrasting pages next to each other looks much more effective. Even more so as zines are normally just printed in black ink.
Above shows the page scanned in before editing. I felt it would be easier to scan this in and work at creating a digital copy from it, as to keep the dimensions the same, so the right content fits in to the right places.
To create my digital version, I used adobe illustrator firstly to outline and create the shapes I would need. This was the case for the sinking bubble, the background outline shape, and then the phone outline.
These were then copied on to Adobe indesign so I could control the layout more precisely. With using type, grid use was essential to make sure everything looked in relation and in line with one another. To create the variety of typefaces i had designed, I had to download fonts. But I think these look effective, as the overall look is smart with the same fonts being able to be used on different pages to create consistency.
Below is the finished page ready for print. With this just being a zine publication, print is easy as the standard print on a normal printer still maintains all the detail needed and fits to the characteristics typical zine booklets have. Another idea to reproduce the "DIY effect" could included photocopying the pages multiple times and harnessing the imperfections this produces to create a distressed, home finished output.
