Zine developments

Further developments for comic zine

After the crit, I decided to play around with the zine design by using different paper stocks and adding more comic strips; I think I like the idea of having quite a thick collection of the comic strips, as arguably it adds more value to the design. 

I made the choice to keep the comic strips on white paper, as it provided a certain authenticity that links to traditional comic design. I also coloured in the backgrounds to provide a hand drawn texture, which related to the DIY element of zines. I need to decide whether I want this zine design to portray this handmade aspect of zines, or provide a high quality product? I should consider how I could combine the both; e.g. having a monthly zine that comes with collectables e.g. stickers? 

I developed a nice texture for the inside of the comic, to add my own style on the design; this helped create a unique product through providing an exclusive element to the design. I thought that this pattern could potentially be developed into a print? This could be relevant for the poster zine concept that was discussed in my crit, as I could have a zine that folded out into a nice print?

I created some quick stickers for the zine as well, with my own Garfield design drawn by hand to provide consistency to the hand drawn comic strips in the comic; this helped add a nice handmade nature to the zine. I need to consider how I could integrate the stickers into the zine; do I want them bound into the zine like this example, or have a separate sticker sheet? I need to also develop some more sticker designs and consider whether I want them in black and white or in a nicer vinyl - I thought it could be interesting to have the 'Garfield Minus Garfield' title in a metallic vinyl, to add a bit of higher quality to the design.  

Here are some examples of cover designs I tested out, using either patterns of simple titles; I think I prefer the simplicity of the title version, as it includes more negative space and looks cleaner. I thought I could also include a QR code for the Garfield Minus Garfield website, to provide an interactive element to the audience. The title also subtly references the original Garfield comics by using a similar font, yet drawn by hand to provide a certain wit. 

What do I need to consider next? 

1. What format do I want the zine? At the moment I have just used an A5 classic zine format - do I want to play with this and make something like a poster zine, or maybe have a comic strip sized design? 
2. I need to find paper stocks I want for the final zine 
3. Experiment with binding 
4. Look at more designers of publications/ zines in general 
5. Design a sticker sheet