Viral is a zine about the internet, specifically in relation to internet culture and the rise of  celebrities in the digital age. Designed by Cat Seafim printed in black ink on a bright yellow stock, within the centre spread is a smaller full-colour photo booklet of recent internet trends and memes. 

I quite like the use of negative space in this zine design. The designer has applied this technique to the pages in order to highlight focal words or images. Moreover, the use of left alignment makes the content easily digestible. The black and white, grayscale colour scheme is minimally effective and contrasts well with the bright yellow (a bit too bright for my liking however!).

The Past Recedes is a small, two-part zine designed by Markos Zouridakis on the subject of story telling, specifically the differing interpretations of memories. The content consists of archived family photographs, hand-drawn diagrams, calligraphic elements and collage, and has a beautifully messy aesthetic.

I love the layering of elements in this composition. As someone who enjoys visual art and collaging themselves I was intrigued by this particular zine. Zouridakis' use of black and white imagery, patterns and pops of bold colour and text creates a great depth of meaning and I love the unique fold-out structure of the zine which at first glance resembles a brochure.

Chicago by Sofia Clausse follows her trip to Chicago. Sofia selected 10 buildings and produced a spread for each, exploring distorted typography and imagery inspired by the warped reflections of the buildings and surrounding environment on the surface of the Cloud Gate sculpture. 

What I am most drawn to in this final zine is the direction of distortion, which perfectly encapsulate feelings of movement, where the designer has purposely manipulated the visuals to depict the physical structure. Little text or description is needed as the visuals speak for themselves. I love the idea that zine visuals alone can provoke a certain type of feeling or meaning, without having to spell it out in words. 

The concept I have chosen for my zine is the discussion of the typeface, Futura: where it originated, its systems and impression. As someone who loves blocky, geometric fonts I have always been intrigued by Futura and have often used it in my design practice where appropriate. Based on research findings, I want to aim for a balance of information and impression; whereby some components of my design will be analytical and discussion based, yet others will purely focus on visuals and portraying an element of feeling that resonates with Futura. 

Below are some thumbnail sketches I completed to grasp an idea of content order and potential design layouts. The exact order of my zine is yet to be finalised which I will share later on in the design process.

Page 1: Front cover

Pages 2-3: Introduction to Futura type designer, Paul Renner

Pages 4-5: Paul Renner profile, discussion of the origin of Futura

Pages 6-7: Type specimens of Futura 

Pages 8-9: Visual portrayal of Futura's geometric system

Pages 10-11: Futura font family

Pages 12-13: Visual collage of letters 

Pages 14-15: Conclusion of Futura as a futurist typeface

Page 16: Back cover

Paul Friedrich August Renner is one of the well-known typeface designers of the 20th century, most notable for his typeface Futura. He was born in Wernigerode, Germany on August 9th, 1878. He finished his formal education in higher level arts in 1900. Following this, he became involved with design and became concerned with typeface and book designs. Thus, in 1907, Renner began as a book designer at Georg Miller Verlag. He focussed on the search for a balance between typography and illustration. In 1926, he became the principal of the Printing Trade School in Münich, and he was also the co-founder and Director of the Master School for Germany’s Printers. Renner published a booklet called ‘Kulturbolschewismus’ in 1932, in which he criticised the Nazi’s cultural policy. In 1933, with the growth of Hitler’s power over Germany, the Nazis dismissed him from the school as an intellectual revolutionary, a ‘Cultural Bolshevist.’ It was between these periods (1924-1926), in which Renner designed his most well known typeface Futura. After a long career, at the age of 78, Paul Renner died on April 25th, 1956 in Hödingen, Germany. His original drawings of Futura are on display at Fundiciön Tipögafica Neufville, Barcelona.

(Bringhurst, 2004; Lupton, 2004)

Futura is a classic example of a geometric sans serif typeface. Its original concept was based on the Bauhaus design philosophy that “form follows function”: all the characters shapes were in their utmost functional simplicity. Futura uses basic geometric proportions with no weight stresses, or serifs, with long ascenders and descenders that give is more elegance than most sans serif typefaces. The wide range of weights and condensed faces provide a variety of ways to set short text blocks and display copy with a strong appearance. Futura was a very important typeface of the time, especially in Germany, as it was a movement towards the modern roman letter and a departure from the Blackletter. Renner’s Futura has also become the inspiration for many geometric types to data, and for that alone he deserves an honourable mention. The typeface is used extensively in advertisements and logos, notably by Volkswagen, Shell Petrol and HP in their prints.

(Penney, 2016; Harris, 2017)

Futura as a family contains several fonts, with varying weights from Book to Extra Bold. Medium and Demi, shown left, illustrate minor minor differences in angles between weights of Futura.

Futura also has oblique letterforms and a condensed family, which add to Futura’s versatility as a typeface - this is part of why it is used in industrial design so prevalently.

Futura shares concepts with Bauhaus, using geometry to create its letterforms. Most are formed using squares, triangles and near-circular forms, making for a modern and minimalist look.

(Penney, 2016)

To travel to the future,

You only need one thing.

Not rockets, speeed, or star dust,

No moon rocks need you bring.

See letters, words are timeless.

They’ve long outlived the past.

They’ll be there in the future,

A time approaching fast.

So if you wish to travel,

Make sure your words are clear.

Take care to choose a typeface,

That will not disappear.

Futura is the vessel,

To take you near and far.

It’s been here since the 20s,

And still it is a star.

Geometry and structure,

Do both these letters grace.

So venture with Futura,

The futurist typeface.

Text mask of Futura type designer, Paul Renner. Created in Adobe Photoshop by applying text to shadow and midtones present in the 'Colour tone' settings, playing with inversion and tweaking type scale. The original photograph and design output are both pictured below.

All other visuals will be created in Adobe InDesign from letter forms as per the brief.

I struggled quite a lot with the spread pictured on the bottom right. The right page was easier once I determined my two column grid structure. I decided to play with Gestalt elements of closure and continuation by reflecting the arc path and adding in the text 'Function follows form' (Bauhaus theory discussed in the body text).

I am pleased with how the spread on the bottom left turned out. Inspired by the use of prominent negative space, Cat Seafim used in Viral (first zine researched), I decided to apply the same principle. The contrast between the bold text portrait and the crisp, white cleanliness of the opposite white page is well moderated and achieves an overall sense of balance.

QUT READINGS

Bringhurst, R. (2004). The Elements of Typographic Style (3rd). Hartley & Marks.

ADDITIONAL SOURCES

Lupton, E. (2004). Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students. New York: Princeton Architectural Press. Print.

Harris, M. (2017). Here’s everything you should know about Futura, on its 90th anniversary. Digital Arts. https://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/features/typography/heres-everything-you-should-know-about-futura-on-its-90th-anniversary/

Penny, M. (2016). Type in History: Futura. Notes on Design. 

Ascot, J. (2013). ZINE DESIGN INSPIRATION. The Book Design Blog.