DVB201 Zine Design Process
1. Zine Research
David Carson Zine / Tatiana Makarova
This zine breaks barriers and uses creative layouts for a striking and attention grabbing effect. It also uses distortion and textures to create a sense of eeriness which is an emotion I would like to capture in my own work.
Editorial Zine Fragmento 92 Poema / Filipe Moura
The contrast and vibrancy instantly drew my eye to this zine as well as their use of rough paint textures and interesting article layouts.
PRETTY UGLY ZINE / Victoria Reka
The darkness and horror of this zine evokes is exactly what I would like my own work to resemble. The unhinged text and dark imagery and text ratio are definitely features that contribute to the style.
References
Reka, V. (2023, June 11th). PRETTY UGLY ZINE. Behance. https://www.behance.net/gallery/172498561/PRETTY-UGLY-ZINE
Makarova, M. (2023, May 22nd). David Carson zine. Behance. https://www.behance.net/gallery/165209581/David-Carson-zine
Moura, F. (2023, May 8th). Editorial Zine Fragmento 92 Poema. Behance. https://www.behance.net/gallery/170075881/Editorial-Zine-Fragmento-92-Poema-De-Fernando-Pessoa
2. Layout
The first step to create my zine was to work out the order of the content. I noticed that the suggested order would result in articles sharing spreads which I felt would make the flow and design of the content difficult. To find a solution, I experimented with different layouts. The first idea was to add two extra pages, making the total 18, to stagger the articles and avoid shared spreads. However, upon researching the printing process for zines, I discovered the requirement for page counts to be in multiples of four. As a result, I had to abandon that idea and instead reorganize the articles within the original layout to enhance the overall reading flow.
1st Layout 2nd Layout 3rd Layout
After deciding on the order of articles, I started working on the layout. I made a mini booklet to sketch out what different content layouts would look like and visualize alternative ideas. This was a great tool to have a tangible prototype as everything else was done digitally. I then started gathering visual and text content to include into the zine.
Collating paragraphs and ideas into a rough draft word document and creating typography graphics in Photoshop and Illustrator to include in the layout later.
Collating paragraphs and ideas into a rough draft word document and creating typography graphics in Photoshop and Illustrator to include in the layout later.
3. Content
Throughout creating the zine I added decorations using digital textures made in Adobe Fresco and typographic images using Adobe Photoshop. These textures and graphics helped achieve the style I wanted this zine to have. I also used a draft document of the text I wanted to include in the articles.
4. Final Product
5. Design Choices & Rational
Typefaces
In the creation of my zine, I selected the fonts LiebeRuth, Source Serif Pro, Sunflower, Carol Gothic, and Adhesive Nr. Seven to convey specific visual and thematic elements.
Adhesive Nr. Seven, has a rough and grungy texture, imparts a raw and rough feel that aligns with the zine's intended theme. Its decorative and bold weight made it the perfect header for many of my articles.
Carol Gothic, is bold but has decorative and delicate features. It lends a sense of authority and impact to headlines and titles but was not always suitable.
Sunflower, is a typewriter style font with many imperfections and inconsistencies which makes it not as legible as LiebRuth. This is why I only used this font in larger text such as headings as it would make each letterform more distinct (Bringhurst, 2004).
LiebeRuth has old-fashioned typewriter qualities that give it a rough aesthetic but is still very legible. I used this font for much of my body text but as this font is very this and uniform it wasn't always suitable for long pieces of text.
Source Serif Pro is a classic and very legible font. I used this font in information heavy sections of the zine to improve legibility.
Together, these fonts form a cohesive typographic palette that enhances the overall visual storytelling and resonates with the horror theme.
Colour
The colours I chose were black, yellow and white for the page colour. I found this palette really striking and effective. The high contrast between yellow and black make the features stand out. The high contrast also aids in legibility which was an important consideration (Frutiger, 1989). I was originally planning on black, red and white but the blood-like shade of red I envisioned didn't have enough contrast.
Multi Page Designing
While designing this zine the focus was on creating a cohesive experience across multiple pages. The concept revolved around capturing the essence of the Venom font and delivering a visually striking and atmospheric experience. The goal was to showcase Venom's unique features and ensure that each page contributed to the overall theme. High contrast and visually captivating graphic elements were carefully selected to ensure the content was engaging. The content proportions were considered to maintain a harmonious flow throughout the zine. Visual elements, including a typography portrait of Ray Larabie and textured prints, were incorporated to add depth and roughness to the design, further enhancing the horror aesthetic. By curating the content and visual elements with a focus on cohesivity, the zine achieves a seamless and immersive reading experience (Samara, 2005).
References
Bringhurst, R. (2004). The elements of typographic style (3rd ed.). Vancouver, BC: Hartley & Marks Publishers.
Frutiger, A. (1989). Signs and symbols: Their design and meaning.
Samara, T. (2005). Publication Design Workbook: A Real-World Guide to Designing Magazines, Newspapers, and Newsletters. Rockport Publishers.
