OUGD401 - Studio Brief 02 - Experimentation With Collage and Text

To create the content for the zines I gathered together a collection of material from newspapers and magazines, including text and images. I initially used these to create a series of rough collages, with the intention of emulating a set of out-of-context personal ads.

After creating these, and presenting them in a peer critique, it was discussed that the focus should centre more around the text rather than the images. Although the images did play a part in the communication of the personal ad when they were printed, newspapers are primarily text based, and some felt that the inclusion of the images distracted from the message of the text.

From this I continued using text from personal ads, but instead focused on creating some sort of narrative to bring forward the idea of communicating a personal story. Initially I created two different narratives, with the intention that only one would be printed, but I felt that the contrast between them would work nicely when printed. From this I decided to make the zine double sided, so that each story would be communicated differently to different audiences depending on which way the sheet was folded.

 

OUGD401 - Studio Brief 02 - Zine Production

Production and Distribution
The physical format of the zine was another important consideration. Looking forward to the distribution of the publication, I ultimately wanted to sell copies through a range of independent artists bookshops as a way of gaining recognition as a creative, and to complete the self-publication process. However, as the research in conjunction with my essay indicated, accessing content online is also a very important aspect of distribution for artists and businesses today, as it brings in global consumers and provides a cheaper alternative for the majority of their audience.

In order to accommodate this I looked at how I might digitalise the zine after printing. One solution could be to digitalise the entire publication, which would then be accessible online. Another solution was to allow a consumer to buy the zine digitally so that they themselves might print out the pages and create the book. To do this, the zine could either be sold as a collection of pages to be printed out individually, or sold as one larger sheet to be folded down. When discussing these ideas in a critique it became obvious that creating one larger sheet was the easiest way for a person to print and bind their own version of the publication without the need for specialist equipment. It would allow them to also become a producer of the book, as well as a consumer, tying in with the traditionally DIY aspect of zine making.

Ideas for the format of the zine

OUGD401 - Studio Brief 02 - Zine Printing

Printing
To print the zine there are two options: digital printing or traditional printing (including but not limited to screenprinting, monoprinting, letterpress). Digital printing is historic to the zine-making tradition, as originally zines were made quickly and simply on a xerox machine. It is also the most common method of zine production today due to the wide accessibility and low cost of the using the equipment.

However, as this work will also focus on printed material as a luxury item I will use a traditional print method to produce my work. Screenprinting is the most viable option, as it allows for a relatively fast reproduction of the content, suitable for a small run of publications, but also provides an elitist edge as the zines will be individually hand-printed. It is also reminiscent of newspaper production (printing four different plates in CMYK), and also plays into the tradition of the cost and effort of production outweighing the physical value of the end product.

OUGD401 - Studio Brief 02 - Zine Content

From this research, and personal experience of being a creative who specialises in publication production and design, it is obvious that the importance of self publication is growing within young artistic communities. Within this body of work I want to explore this process of producing a printed publication with the intent to share the work through commercial outlets. To do this I will create, design and produce a small run of zines, focusing on the printing techniques, the physical production, and the distribution upon completion


Looking at the content for the zine I wanted to take a step back from the production of printed materials and instead focus on what is lost when a traditionally printed item becomes digitalised. This is becoming a common occurrence in the newspaper industry as papers either produce some or all of their content for computers and phones. Many physical quirks are lost during this process, for example the misalignment of printing plates as photographs are reproduced, or the coloured registration marks at the edge of each page, and the examination of these tactile imperfections could be used as the basis for the zine's content.

There is also a connection that is lost between producer and consumer when printed material is digitalised - when you buy and use a printed item there is a palpable process involved in its creation that is not simply present on a digital screen. As an extension of this there is also an element of communication that is lost in the form of printed personal ads. Communication is obviously still possible digitally, but is done instead through social media sites, where questions and answers happen instantaneously. This unique form of communication through printed media could also be a focus for the zine's content, in reference to the way we communicate in a digital world and the encroaching redundancy of the printed word.

Initial sketches for registration based content

Planning for communication based content

During a critique with peers it was discussed that although looking at registration marks might make for a more visually pleasing zine, however the concept of communication through print was a more original idea and would connect with a wider audience, both younger and older, providing more of a reminiscence on the decline of traditionally printed media.