Final evaluation – Graphic communication and the art of Zine

To begin with – I am not a designer, nor a graphic communication person. I rather communicate with approachable 3D designs that can be touched and manipulated. That is primarily why I struggled with this brief. I had some rough ideas of what I want to deliver, based on my day to day interest which basically mean: Common trends on the internet. I am what one can call the ideal consumer of graphic content, but being one, doesn’t necessarily mean to be able to produce one. Furthermore, being able to communicate via internet trends on a daily basis does not make me a good designer whatsoever.

As part of my research I have joined some online groups and forums, and was surprised to see how the Zine scene is very much alive and kicking. Some wonderful creative people are able to still keep this trend alive, and are more than happy to share their knowledge and artistic abilities with everyone who is interested in listening and learning.

My struggle with graphic in general made me chose a relative “easy” way to still deliver a message but without having to use any advanced tools such as Photoshop, or even try and put my illustration skills to the test.

I am happy I could produce my first (and by far, my last) Zine. I had no doubt it will not be an easy thing for me, and although I am not happy with the creative result, the message can still be heard.

To be honest, the thing I enjoyed most throughout this project was to gather the information, to read more about history of communication before the internet, which seems we all forgotten about. I am happy I had a chance to leap to the past and look at it with the technical knowledge I have today.

While Zines are still somehow radical and focus on less mainstream issues, there is still a space for contemporary ideas and use of digital tools to make it even more appealing. I did come across some very “dark” subject and issues that made me feel uncomfortable but it had more to do with the content and not so much with the design.

In conclusion: I still hope to make the world a prettier place rather than dealing with the darker side of art content, both visually and emotionally.