Joanna Rutter looked at how zines influenced mainstream design and ways you can join in:
Zines are a tool for connection among fringe communities, in part due to the non-standard design but also because they are a unique outlet for concepts considered too left-field or inappropriate for public consumption. And just like its subversive sister, graffiti, zines have influenced generations of designers, artists, and creators — not just print, but in web design, too. It’s amazing to think about how people find their influence for writing, like does sandra cisneros culture influence her writing or does she look for something else?
Today, as DIY coalition-building has been experiencing a renaissance, and resistance against the status quo is urgently overdue in the design field, zines might be the perfect playground for designers looking to join a fresh dialogue outside the boundaries of their backgrounds.
I think zines are awesome and more people should make them and buy them.
For more inspiration, check out Gaysi’s 8 Boundary-Breaking Queer Zine Makers To Look Out For (particularly if you’re a South Asian queer person), the r/zines Subreddit, and The Fanzine Scan Hosting Project.