OUGD601 - Practical Work - Issue 1 & Issue 2 Comparison

Comparing the two issues allows the future of queer publications to be considered. Issue one was created entirely around the ethos of the zine community, and placed accessibility amongst its most important considerations. From its unconventional design to its lo-fi production, the magazine embodied the legacy of zine culture in queer publications. The issue so far has been a success, and approximately 200 copies have been distributed either through conferences, independent bookshops or online. Although distribution has also remained largely within the queer community, rarely pushing outside of this boundary. Issue two, although not currently in circulation, has the potential to gain success at this level. Its commercial, some might say generic, design perhaps make it more accessible to the general public. Its higher production value would place the magazine amongst the higher rankings of independent magazines, which therefore enhances the power and capability of lesbian and queer voices in mainstream media. As concluded in the extended essay, the future of queer publications appears to be the increased utilisation of commercial design strategies, blended with the energy and spirit of the zine community to create viable, authentic platforms with far reach benefits for the queer community. Although research did warn that commercially led queer platforms have a tendency to put profit and gains over their audiences, the exposure that the queer community receives through these platforms has undoubtedly influenced the inclusion and acceptance of queer individuals in society today. Independent publications, such as About Honey, are hugely significant in the representation of queer history and queer present, and create the necessary space needed for queer future to exist.

OUGD601 - Practical Work - About Honey #2 Print Production

The production of issue 2 will utilise the full commercial process and will be printed in full colour on industry-standard equipment. Stock choice will be a 90gsm bright white stock with a matte finish. As this mock-up of issue 2 has fewer pages than a standard commercial magazine, the publication will again be saddle stitched. However the full magazine would have a larger volume of pages and would therefore be perfect bound.

OUGD601 - Context of Practice Tutorial 4

The first draft of the extended essay was reviewed. Dom noted that although the main body of the text was solid, many of the paragraphs could be strengthened by referring back to the question and reiterating the point from a graphic design angle. The use of varied case studies was commended, however it was also noted that more design theory could provide a deeper context for the subject matter.

It was decided that in order for the content to better fit together as one the question could be changed to 'How Does The Legacy of Queer Zine Culture Affect the Design of Queer Publications Today'.

OUGD601 - Practical Work - About Honey #2 Internal Spreads

The internal spreads of the magazine were also reworked to reflect the layout design found in high end independent magazines such as Hello Mr. and Gentlewoman. In contrast with the original first issue, this new commercial version uses full colour pages to highlight content, as well as black and white images alongside. The structure of the layouts utilise a conscious use of negative space, placing text and image together in a considered manner and isolating images to bring focus to the content. Images are now paired in a perhaps more obvious way, allowing the material to be seen as individual and complimentary images without the need for deeper context of queer history. This opens up accessibility to the content for both queer individuals and the wider straight community, allowing the magazine to become marketable to wider audience. Copy is also aligned into columns, creating articles of text rather than footnotes and references.

OUGD601 - Practical Work - About Honey #2 Front Covers

A new cover design was also created to represent the new commercial magazine. The first experiment produced a cover with a full colour image overlaid with solid type, as a homage to the commercial queer magazine Girls Like Us. In a critique group this design received negative reactions as many felt that if anything the design was too commercial, and the cover did not accurately represent the concept of About Honey as a project and would not match the content inside.

It was suggested that the original cover be reworked, and commercial elements added in, such as a stricter grid system, and pricing and barcode details. There was a strong preference for cover 1 as from a graphic design perspective it was felt that this design was the most original. However, it was also agreed that cover 2 actually felt the most commercial because of the stacked logo, and was more accurate to the designs that people would most likely see in a shop.

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After feedback from this critique a back cover was also created. Unlike the original cover the back of the publication would not be a continuation of the front image, instead a full bleed erotic image would be used to replicate the full page advertisement that usually adorns the back of most commercial magazine. The image is also complete with it's own censorship of the female body as in a real commercial setting this kind of content would probably not be published unless it had been censored before sale.

OUGD601 - Practical Work - About Honey #2

       The legacy of queer zine culture has created the foundation on which queer publishing now sits.

       Almost all queer publications today, whether small zines or large scale magazines, utilise zine 

       aesthetics within branding, layout and design. If it’s a question of success between zines and 

       magazines, there is no winner. The production and distribution of zines encourages community, 

       and their amateur yet pioneering designs allowed them to remain accessible to a wide audience, 

       regardless of content. In contrast, highly produced commercial magazines are created to sell a 

       lifestyle, and a well designed magazine with a specifically designed exterior will create a 

       consumable and desirable brand. Although approached from different angles, both create the 

       same form of community, and both create vitally important representation for queer individuals.

                                                                               — Extract from extended essay conclusion  

About Honey was created during the research phase of the extended essay, and drew much of its inspiration from the initial findings of the investigation. Issue 1 took into consideration the design history of queer publications, and the majority of the  production drew heavily from zine culture. The design knowingly utilised collage-style layouts and a lower print quality so as to create a more accessible queer magazine for an audience who would be more familiar with this style of publication. However, it was not produced using the results of a full analyses of the design and production of queer publications today. As such the magazine as it stands does not fully adhere to the conclusions that were formed during the latter part of the extended essay, in that queer publications today have a greater potential for a larger platform in a commercial market through the use of more commercial design strategies.

Upon consideration of these conclusions, it is possible that About Honey could be expanded as a platform to further enhance the original concept. A commercial counterpart to issue 1 will be created, applying the use of commercial design considerations for branding and layout, and commercial printing techniques in order to demonstrate the potential for the inclusion of lesbian voices in mainstream printed publications. This will allow both sides of queer publishing to be presented in order to evaluate the most effective solutions for future About Honey publications.