Tagged: zine

launch event/promotion

Through being previously involved in events for Pop-Up Brighton, I was contacted regarding potential space hire for a zine launch event that I had enquired about. I wanted to keep any events local to Brighton and/or London as the majority of my contributors are based around there, as am I, and it keeps the personal, friendly feel of the zine. This is also why I wanted a small, independent and accessible venue to keep this approachable feel for Filler. Brighton has a great scene for pop-up, DIY arts and music events and so I wasn’t short of inspiration or venues/collaborators I could contact.

It was proposed that I could hold a week-long event, which I would base as an exhibition of prints from the zine project, as well as selling the first issue and promoting the project as an ongoing brand. I wanted to hold a ‘launch’ event on the first day of the space hire to encourage people to attend, much like other zines or independent magazines like Ladybeard and Polyester do.

This could involve: a gig featuring local bands, food tasting or a food-based installation, an interactive board or wall that guests can write/doodle/submit their ideas about Filler on, a zine or collage workshop.

interactive/satirical magazine features

I researched into lighthearted and satirical magazine features to follow the fun, approachable tone I want FILLER to have. My main inspiration came from Bay Garnett’s Cheap Date magazine, which focuses on going against mainstream, mass-produced fashion and has a DIY zine feel. More recently, Mushpit magazine features satirical adverts and interactive elements such as quizzes and diagrams that comment on our contemporary society.

This made me want to take a lighthearted approach to other elements of trends I have observed. For example there is a youth trend in astrology and spirituality, with more and more young adults taking notice of horoscopes – Instagram alone is filled with “memes” dissecting our signs and how that explains our behaviour and personality traits. A popular app called Co-Star gives users daily astrological updates, and also allows you to add your friends so that you can view their natal charts and read in-depth compatibility results. So I created a satirical horoscopes feature in the zine, which turned knowledge of each star sign into lighthearted guidance on lifestyle and food habits, for example suggesting that Scorpios should “stop comparing your foodie Instagram pics to everyone else’s”.

The rise in “mindfulness” colouring books for adults’ mental health inspired me to create a “self-care must haves” colouring page, which used my personal illustration style to depict typical self-care products and behaviours for readers to colour in.

comfort food shoot

I conducted a survey online asking people (through social media platforms) to submit their ‘ultimate comfort food’ – some submitted simply a word or two, others a short description, and some a lengthy anecdote describing the nostalgia or pleasure created by consuming their favourite food. This formed the basis of a still life shoot depicting people’s comfort food. After researching and being aware of the ‘wellness’ and ‘clean-eating’ trend that is especially visible on social media, I find it intriguing how the foods people actually enjoy eating, that make them feel better when they are sick, sad, tired or just relaxing, are actually not the most aesthetically pleasing. I wanted to, visually, comment on how we are constantly Instagramming superfood-packed bowls of porridge, açai bowls, smoothies or fruit platters, because they are so typically ‘pretty’ and send out a message of health, purity and attractiveness to our followers, but really the foods we get real pleasure from are (to name a few submissions) toast, garlic bread, macaroni cheese, pizza, donuts and shortbread biscuits.

I wanted to select a few of these submissions and depict them against backdrops resembling bedcovers, to relate to the theme of comfort food and the intimate, clandestine act of bingeing on your favourite snacks in bed. I used silky, luxurious looking fabrics which when juxtaposed with the typically ‘unattractive’ food created a playful aesthetic, presenting cheap, everyday supermarket products as something glamorous.




CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

My tutorial with Martha Harris yesterday encouraged me to think more about the desired aesthetics and design of my zine. As I am interested in exploring printing methods and book arts outside of my university studies we discussed print technique experimentations for example risograph and screen printing (or even creating that ‘look’ within the zine to resemble Xerox photocopied punk zines). Above is a call for submissions I posted across social media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) , which we also discussed printing as a flyer or poster and distributing in shops and venues that target the same artistic or DIY scene that I am trying to attract.

I want to progress now by starting to look at layout and design inspiration, as well as possible paper stocks and colour as this will definitely influence the design of my magazine, and the way content appears or is presented.

trekstock 2018 campaign: evaluation

My proposal for Trekstock’s 2018 fundraising strategy aimed to develop their work around mental wellbeing in relation to improving physical health. I wanted to elaborate on their “Wellbeing” section on their website by creating a publication promoting these ideas in a friendly, accessible but also artistic and involving way. My campaign proposal was TAKE CARE, consisting of an interactive, activities based zine that would kickstart a self-care movement, increasing awareness of Trekstock’s values and building a supportive community online.

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printing and illustration methods

I used a variety of image-making methods to make sure there was diversity throughout the zine, very often using hand-drawn illustration and adding colour on Illustrator, as well as scanning in hand-drawn illustrations and typography to create a DIY or diary look. I also used lino-printing to add texture, but edited colours to create a stamp-like effect. Overall, by combining digital and analogue methods I managed to create interesting, diverse spreads which created a collaged, scrapbook look.

illustrator research

I researched emerging illustrators whose work would fit with the theme of my zine – work that focuses on life, vitality, positivity and mental wellbeing, to collaborate with the ‘Take Care’ campaign and design illustrative prints/posters that could be pulled out of the zine.

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take care: visual identity development

I started off by looking at creating a clean, contemporary and fresh design for the zine, and designed a minimalist cover combining photography and type. I looked to Trekstock’s existing branding for guidance, especially on their Wellbeing page. However, after considering this piece of work and the aims and audience for the campaign, I wanted to create something younger and more exciting that would draw people in as an exciting publication. I realised I didn’t have to adhere to Trekstock’s exact branding (Yellow Bird Project as an example of one of their projects that has a different look and feel to Trekstock’s own identity) so could be a little freer in the design process. After experimenting a little with some initial page spreads too, I decided to make the zine entirely illustrative with no photography, which I think is more engaging and unique, and also will push me to try new things using ilustration, typography, Indesign and Illustrator.