There is an easy and fun way to create little booklets: they are called zines.
A zine (short for "magazine" or "fanzine") is an independent, self-produced publication, often produced in small runs or even by hand in a single piece, and distributed through unconventional channels.
Zines are particularly popular in the arts and creative communities because of their DIY (do it yourself) nature and the ability to freely express ideas and creativity without the restrictions typical of traditional publications.
How to make a zine
The steps to make a zine are really very simple, which is precisely why it becomes easy and fun to create one for any occasion. It can be made with any size of paper, but obviously the easiest and most popular one is A4.
1. First fold
Take the sheet of paper and fold it in half. Try to be precise, and press the fold well so that it is nice and flat.
2. Second fold
Rotate the newly folded sheet and make a second fold, again trying to be precise and crush the folds well.
3. Third fold
Create the last fold, rotating the sheet again and squishing all the folds you have made well.
Open the sheet: the folds you made form a grid.
4. The cut
With the sheet open, identify which fold you will need to cut. I recommend doing this with scissors or a box cutter. Again: the more precise you are, the better your zine will come out.
Composition.
Open the part you cut out, and fold the paper to create pages to flip through. Squish the folds well.
And there you have it: your zine is ready to be filled!
Some ideas for how to fill a zine
Example: an illustrated vacation diary
If you have been following me for a while, you know that I love to bring home a special souvernir from the vacations, which is to create an illustrated vacation journal. It's a fun and relaxing way to select memories, emotions, and collect them into a pretty product to keep at home on the bookshelf.
A zine allows for an introductory cover, and a page dedicated to each day of the week, where you can include sketches, drawings, printed photographs, notes, quotes, and more.
Example: an illustrated story
The zine also lends itself nicely to becoming an actual structured booklet with a story. You can design it by thinking of a front and back cover, with inside three double pages illustrated and written.
- introduction to history and setting
- evolution and upheaval
- resolution and ending
A short story but one that, if well thought out and designed, can become a nice product to keep in the home. It is a great project, for example, to do with children.
Example: a collection of thoughts
Not everyone is comfortable with illustration, but it might still be nice to have a collection of personal ideas and thoughts. Perhaps simple notes about events that happen to us every day that we want to remember, or goals and wishes that we would like to have fulfilled.
It can be nice to reread them later and note our evolution.
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