We’ll look at the basics of creating a zine or minibook. These are smaller, less complicated books that are great to start your bookmaking journey.
Throughout this badge set, I’ll use the word “zine” for all versions of minibooks.
Steps
1. Simple.
At its most basic, you can make a zine with only a piece of paper a writing utensil and scissors. Don’t believe me?Check out Zine_Power One_2018_09_300_larajla. I taught an Introduction to Zine Making class locally and created this with a sheet of paper, a red pen and scissors to cut the sheet to finish the design.
There are many ways to add to this.We’ll explore these in this badge program. If you’re interested in actually making zines and want more information, check out the rest of the Zine /Minibook set starting with “Zine / Minibook Maker I.”
Content Decisions
2. Content.
As you look through zines, minibooks and examples of others’ work, jot down any content ideas of what you’d like to create yourself. This might be as simple as a list of possible themes or titles. I recommend starting a notebook or sketchbook specifically for zines. As you continue to work through this process, you’ll find more ideas. Having one place to put them all will save you time in the long run.
3. Design.
You just don’t want to have ideas about content. Design elements to full page sketches will not only give you more possibilities, but may trigger even more wonderful ideas. I have an old rectangular blotter that I draw rectangles around and then put page sketches into my sketchbook. Try sketching out a few designs.
4. Graphics.
You may want to include graphics in your zine. This might be any of the following items.
- Abstract art
- Charts
- Clip art
- Comics
- Cutout words
- Drawings
- Photos
- Public domain images
- Silhouettes
- Sketches
- Special lettering
- Tables
There are many more ideas which is why we’ll go to the next step.
5. Swipe file.
A swipe file, or slush pile, is a collection of items you’ve collected in an electronic or physical folder to use later for your zines. As you start creating them, you’ll find that the graphics, quotes, photos or other elements don’t quite fit. You also might find items that will work for other zines you’re planning. Having a place to save these is very beneficial when you look for them later.
I would recommend sticking to items that you create or that you make sure have no copyright on them. This might be elements from public domain sites, old books, contributed artwork and commissioned artwork. Dover Publications release a lot of clip art books of old images if you need a place to start. They have a limit on the number you can use in a single publication, so you’ll need to follow their guidelines.
Layout Decisions
6. Inspiration.
You may want to create a second file for inspiration. Instead of writing everything down in your notebook, collect images and designs and put them into a folder for later review. This is not like a swipe file that you can use directly on your zine. You will want to only use this for ideas as anything you clip from a current website or magazine will all fall under copyright. This includes items like song lyrics and recent newspaper articles.
7. Color.
How you plan to output your zine will determine your color choices. If you plan on photocopying it, you’ll want to stick to black and white unless you want to pay for the color copies. Alternatively, if you’re printing at home on your own inkjet printer, color becomes a viable option. Look at the zines you find. Notice how they use color with covers and pages to give their zine a two-color look while printing only black. Also, note some of the ways they use color.
Example: I have one zine where the artist played with 3-d effects. He included the glasses with copies of his zines.
8. Loner.
When you create your zine, will you be a loner? Will you create the zine alone? Some people create zines with one or more contributors to take the burden of creating an entire zine off themselves. Look at a a few zines to see how many people worked to create the zine. It might be one person doing copy and one creating original artwork. It might be a list of contributors who all sent in all the information for each of their pieces . . . similar to providing an article for a magazine. Determine if you’re up for the challenge of doing it yourself or if you want a helper(s).
9. Panels.
One item I proposed to my students during the Zine Making class was creating in panels instead of the full spread.So, if you’re creating a 4.25” x 5.5” zine, you’d cut the pages so you have single panels to design. When you had enough to fill the pages you wanted to for your zine, you would arrange them until you were happy with the flow of content. If looking at creating a 48-page zine fills you with fear, creating a panel or two a week would seem manageable and you could work slowly to the final goal. Would this be an option for you?
10. Additions.
We’ve looked at all the items you need to determine the basics or content for your zine. You may want to take your ideas up a bit. You can do this through additions or embellishments. You can add color to a final zine by adding colored rubber stamp designs on specific pages. You can slide in a short page announcing your website for contributors.You can use different paper for the front cover to make it sturdier and feel more expensive. There are many things you can do, but we’ll continue this in the Maker badges in this set.
Look through your collection of zines. . . I’m sure you have a small one at this point. Did any of the artists add special items to make their zine look a bit better than their competitors? If so, you might just want to jot that down in your idea list.
Badge and Supplement Files
Member Level
- EP_BadgeList_Zine MB Basics_larajla — list of badge items
- EP_BadgeSet_Zine MB Basics_larajla — list of badge set and related badges
- EP_Supp_List_Zine MB Basics_larajla — list of supplements for the badge
- SUPP_BPG_ZineMB Basics_2in_12up_larajla — generic badge printable
- SUPP_ZineMB Basics_Journal_larajla — badge journal
- SUPP_ZineMB Basics_Planner_larajla — badge planner
Supplement Fun
- SUPP_Printable_FORM_Zine Contents_larajla – Zine Content
- SUPP_Printable_FORM_Zine Design_larajla — Zine Design Elements
Extras
- Zine_Power One_2018_09_300_larajla —Printable: Zine – Power of One Zine /hand drawn
Sites to Explore
- www.instructables.com/id/Guide-To-Zine-Making
- www.theorganisedcrafterbrain.com/2018/05/11/my-zine-making-tools
- idesigni.co.uk/blog/zine-making
- onebeatzines.com/how-to-make-a-zine
- mentalfloss.com/article/88911/brief-history-zines
- www.zinewiki.com/Zine
- www.idea-mag.com/en/books/all_we_know_about_japanese_zines
- jvns.ca/blog/2018/09/23/why-sell-zines
- wemakezines.com
Get the infographic here > larajla blog post
Get the PDFs of the badge program / supplements here > Full badge PDFs