Zines and making your own publications became big in the 1980's, starting with punks, creatives and collectives often as a way to showcase or protest. Above all, they were really just an easy way to self-publish any work, often just on cheap stock and staple bound or folded to save on costs. The nature of a zine is quite 'cheap and cheerful'- a tangible graphic artefact you can make as creative as you like. Mushpit is a great examples of this, where CSM students decided to create a photocopier publication showcasing their work, and in Mushpit's case a defined point of view.
London reporter IanVisits* said that zines "marked a certain sub-culture which still needed to promote and communicate", which actually makes a lot of sense as that was their purpose for creating the zine. Their funds were low so utilised this means of production to democratise their messages. Movements such as Riot Grrrl's produced zines which became hugely popular, which in turn helped promote their feminist message. Feminism, gender and identity have often been the main topic of 'popular' zines over the past 20th/21st century, with each zine's point of view often setting the tone of the publication.
(*https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/blog/2016/08/09/from-punk-to-modern-day-the-zine-movement/)
Zines in 2017 have moved somewhat away from it's original routes, often being more of a production piece than a sign of protest. Kanye West has created a Clabassas Zine (see other blog post), which may suggest the commercialism of zine culture. Fashion houses such as COS create zine style in store magazines and look books, which has become an increasingly popular tool of communication in the fashion industry.
i.D Magazine released a list of key zines to know, it was interesting to explore them online yet I would love to experience their tactility and production methods as an additional form of primary research. Below are a few which I find interesting and relevant to 2017 (as appropriate to the research investigation).
Polyester Zine
Polyester zine targets current issues in popular culture, including music, politics and fashion. Their writers contribute critical articles on current fashion trends and 'gurl talk', fashion photography and still life are combined to create an immersive experience for the viewer, always placing the subject in the focus. Their visual communication and typography are postmodern and diverse, incorporating elements of romantic nostalgia but staying pretty true to pop-culture and underground trends.
Polyester interestingly reference history, and relate the subjective natures of art and design to fact. Their point of view is liberating and all-embracing, never the less informative and (in a way) educational.
Zines can also allow graphic designers and artists to be more experimental with their communication, meaning covers and layout is often more avant grade than that of commercial publications. This is part of the charm of zines, especially with DIY Customisation allowing a personalised experience. When Liv, the Former Editor of Rough Trade magazine came in to discuss editorial with us, she spoke openly about the design process and how artwork/content was resolved. The intentions of the magazine (still only cheaply and creatively produced) was to bring a Rough Trade store, to the viewer, meaning they had full creative freedom with the aestetic, so went as mad as they wanted. Liv discussed how they created a structure, so each month it was easy to input content to save time, which I will do for my own work.
No comments:
Post a Comment