OUGD504 - Design for Print - Zine/Sticker Research

In order to promote my publication and draw in my target audience, I researched into zines as they are a compact source of visual culture. This will allow me to demonstrate Bristol's creative culture through the use of expressive craft techniques such as collage. This will ultimately add an element of desire and also provides opportunity for a free publication. This would be appropriate for Bristol as magazines such as CRACK and B24/7.

Zine

Most commonly a small-circulation of self-published work, consisting of original texts and images usually reproduced via photocopier which makes them cheap to produce. Topics covered are broad, including fan-fiction, politics, poetry, art and design and personal journals. The content is often too far outside of the mainstream to be included in traditional media such as magazines and books but offer a USP alongside magazines such as WRAP. 

Gloria Glitzer

Gloria Glitzer is an art based book/zine producer based in Berlin, operated by artists Franziska Brandt and Moritz Grünke.

• Consistent A5 page size
• Predominantly visual - very limited type
• Limited colour palette to make printing cheap - Zines are commonly printed using risography so a limited colour palette will only require one or two ink plates for two spot colours, instead of four CMYK plates. 
• Expressive

Behind the Zines: Self-Publishing Culture, 2011

Behind the Zines introduces a cutting-edge selection of international zines and examines their role as a catalyst in the evolution of media and graphic design today. The book presents the broad range of existing zines that combine thought-provoking content with compelling design.

'Oozing love, thought, time - and often enough - spirited improvisation, self published zines are starting to seep into mainstream culture - and on a shelf or in a specialist bookshop near you.'

Flaxen Zine

Studio Subsist - Michael Kosmicki

Page 

Visually and conceptually split into two parts, creating a platform for collaboration and the exchange of ideas and interests. Designers, illustrators, photographers and writers respond to the double themes of each issue. The change in scale and stock colour would relate back to my early IN/OUT concept as I already have a lot of visual content that I can use to create an expressive craft style in my publication. 

Village Bookstore, Leeds

Managed to get my hands on some zines to get more of an idea of size and analyse the type of content, stock and print method.

• A5 pages were common - Standard A4 paper is cheap
• Cheap
• Illustrative 
• Narrative
• Limited type
• Abstract typesetting
• Cheap, thin stock - However some use bespoke paper to make them more desirable and tactile.
• Printed on coloured stock
• Monochrome - Cheap to print

Zines provide opportunity to be expressive and subjective without having to justify every traditional design decision, hence why they are so abstract and visually engaging. Creating a zine for my publication would increase awareness and promote my publication. 

Stickers

Noticed that vinyl's and magazines have stickers on the front of them, stating the unique content inside and intriguing the audience. 

The Wytches:

• Illustrative, freehand
• Simplistic
• Expressive
• Rough
• Appropriate for the style of music
• No regard for rules 

When I was in Village, I was trying to visualise my publication on the shelves alongside the other publications/magazines. Perhaps adding a sticker informing the target audience of the free zine and environmentally friendly production. 

• Zine
• Recycled materials 

Used the map to inform the shape of the sticker:

Traced the Cabot, Clifton and Clifton East area of the map because that's the area where the majority of the images were taken:

Contour line is very detailed so may be too abstract for the audience to recognise. Therefor I aim to use a simplified, basic shape so that the information is clear. I want the sticker to stand out like a store promotion or vinyl sticker over the neutral grey board.

Johan Idema, How to Visit an Art Museum

On the front of the publication isn't actually a sticker, but printed 'carelessly' onto the front as if it has been stuck on.

Adds contrast to the well considered typesetting so that it stands out.