some time ago, when there was no internet, the news was only known if you read the newspaper or magazines. Articles like the one you are reading were self-published, printed, photocopied, and passed from hand to hand. There was no internet but there were fanzines.
If you do not know which is a fanzine, don't worry, in this publication we are going to tell you everything you need to know about it and we will also show you different examples.
El fanzine, is a way that arises to share ideas or thoughts with the rest of the world. This format is a process of experimentation with creativity for designers.
What does fanzine mean?
That term comes from fan y magazine. It is usually a craft publication like a primer, as they are usually shaped like that. It can be made by a member of the art world, in which topics of arts, cultures, music, among others, are discussed.
El The origin of this type of publication dates back to the 30s, when epistolary exchanges were made between lovers of science fiction. Over the years and technological evolution, its reproduction became increasingly sophisticated.
Over time, topics that were discussed in these publications were political and protest issues. Starting in the 70s, covers began to emerge with a feeling of protest and rebellion.
Already arrived at 80s, in the United Kingdom with the punk culture is when the fanzine begins to acquire a very personal aesthetic. An experimentation with fonts, different textures, colors, and other design elements begins.
The fanzines in this punk culture were so influential that they inspired many musicians of the time and absorbed graphic elements from these publications for their album covers.
The The first fanzines were made with magazine clippings, which were placed and pasted on a sheet of paper and text was added. These texts could be handwritten with different elements or built with cutouts. If color or illustrations were needed they could be done in the same way, by hand or with cutouts. The options are limitless when it comes to making a fanzine.
Today, these homemade publications are made in the same way, they can even have different forms such as a magazine, a small book, a personal card, etc. Not only do they vary in size, but the techniques can also be different.
Conclusion editorial pieces produced in an artisanal and independent way, for lovers of a subject or as a means to publicize your ideas. More and more designers are using this format to publicize their work.
Conclusion objects of great value for their creators and for the readers, since these are publications with a limited circulation. The entire design and distribution process is carried out by its creator.
Nowadays, with the technological development that we have within our reach, the printing of these publications have a higher quality and can also be designed digitally.
How to make a fanzine?
If after knowing what it is, you are interested in knowing how to make one without much complication, then we will give you a hand.
As we have said, a fanzine can deal with different themes, it can already be a publication about religious ideas or an expression of personal art.
Like all editorial design, first of all you have to go through a research process, to continue later with the creative process. One of the greatest positive points of these publications is that you can do as you please, there are no rules or limits.
El The first step you should take is to define the topic you are going to talk about. The good thing about these publications is that they promote freedom of expression, so no subject becomes taboo.
As a general rule, this type of format usually only has eight pages, so you have to keep this in mind to Create short and concise content.
Once you have defined the topic to be discussed, it is time to start the documentation phase. In this phase you will write, draw, cut, etc. You have to elaborate and organize the content of the publication.
The more material you have, the easier it will be to choose the right one. It is good to have more material than necessary, so you will demand more of yourself when it comes to finding the best for your work.
The next step you must follow is make a list with all the content you want to talk about in the fanzine. This will help you know which information is more important than others.
This script also helps to organize the ideas in a certain order. That is, what are you going to talk about before and after.
When we already have the theme, the material and the script, it is time to decide the format What will your post have? It can be folded and engraved like a magazine or, on the other hand, it can only be folded as it is a fold-out. You have many possibilities.
Apart from this, you must make the decision of the measures with which you are going to work. If, for example, you use standard measures at the time of printing, it will be cheaper than if you do it with unusual measures.
As we have mentioned before, fanzines are usually made up of 8 pages, but depending on the amount of material you work with, you will need more or less.
As in the case of the storyboard, you need to make an outline of the number of pages with which you are going to work and indicate in each of them what information or elements are included.
When you have everything organized, the last step you must do before starting to design it is the choice of paper you are going to work with.
Now you only have the design phase left, it is your choice if you are going to do it in the old style with cutouts and illustrations by hand or on the contrary you are going to design it digitally.
Making zines is an exceptional design process with which to develop your creativity.