Zines: Do It Yourself Publications

DIY and punk ethos has meant everything to me since discovering the whole world in high school. It’s liberating not waiting for anyone’s approval and figuring out how to do crap on your own or with your friends. Call me romantic, but projects coming from a genuine, organic place is something the world needs more of. One of these sorts of projects that is mutually related to graphic design are zines.

A zine (short for magazine) is a non-commercial, often self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images. They can cover any number of topics, to name a few, art, politics, music, sex, and social justice.

What I think is special about a zine is the value that is in craft and freedom of speech. Sure anyone could get on the internet and blog about whatever they could have put into a zine, but there is value in holding and reading a hand-made publication that an individual or group of people have put time and effort into that isn’t dictated by economics or some executive above them.

I’ve been making silly science fiction zines with my friends off and on since being a senior in high school. I’m not sure why the connection of making a purely graphic design zine hasn’t crossed my mind till now.

Taking what I’ve learned about book-making this school year, I’m excited to put together a sweet looking and assembled graphic design zines about different topics that I love.