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.