COP3 - presentation

Name:

Beth Hayden

E-mail:

Bh103324@students.leeds-art.ac.uk

SUBJECTS OF CONTEXTUAL RESEARCH ALREADY UNDERTAKEN

Level 4:

How design in the 50s/60s responded to social and cultural change

Level 5:

The radical and revolutionary impact of Riot Grrrl

AIM AND/OR OBJECTIVE OF YOUR PROPOSED C.O.P.3 PROJECT

To examine the production, distribution, and social practices of zine-making, exploring whether or not they have a future in today’s society

What research needs to be undertaken into the general and specific contexts of your practice?

Initially, I need to research into the identity of the individuals who are a part of zine making, which will allow me to gain an insight into the process of writing these publications. This will then lead to a focus on the content and also the way in which the zines themselves are designed in terms of layout and production. By looking at this, I will gain an understanding of their purpose and reasons for publishing. As well as this, I intend to look at methods of print and distribution, and the positive and negative aspects of this. This will allow for a focus on print based products in the graphic design world, and research into the advances of technology.  Audience will also be a key research theme, as well as music, subcultures and particular decades.

What approach(es) will you take and what processes, methods, materials and tools are to be involved in research into your practice?

Although there needs to be focus within my project, I want to make sure that I obtain a large number of different types of fanzines so that I am able to make observations across a broad range of publications, and do not simply focus all my attention on one genre or one movement. I also want to make sure that I directly contact a number of different writers and producers in order to gain a better insight and understanding. This could be done through the use of a questionnaire, which would be qualitative, allowing me to gather in depth responses. As I will need to gain an understanding of existing fanzines, which will inform the practical side of my project, I want to make sure that I have a strong visual understanding of the subject matter. This can be done through the use of websites, exhibitions and library research; however, I can also gain a first hand account by finding zines within their usual and existing context. For example, a number of different shops have zines available for purchase and there are also online sites that sell these types of publications, such as Etsy. This will also give me a better understanding of the types of products that can be included as part of a range. It was also noted during a studio visit that the best people to approach in terms of research are your fellow students. I will therefore make use of my peers and the people around me in order to gather relevant information regarding my subject topic. In addition to this, I will use the library as a resource, as well as the web and online journals as noted above.

What preparation or investigations do you need to undertake for your creative practice to take place?  In order for my practice to take place, and to effectively synergise this with theory, I need to make sure that I have a good understanding of the visual aesthetics of fanzines. This will include the use of the cut and stick method and may also include the use of the photocopier, or different methods of print. I will need to research into cost of production and also methods of distribution, as this will become a major part of my practice. Before I even start putting my theory into practice, I also need to decide what exactly the content is going to be. This will come from research into fanzines, which will focus on individuals who produce these publications and the type of issues that they address within this, which could come under a specific genre. The content included needs to be appropriate to both the audience and also the overall visuals. Audience is therefore also a main factor in terms of my practice. I need to be aware of who the finished product is aimed at so that the visuals are appropriate as well as the content. This will also determine the tone of voice that my project takes and the methods of distribution.

What research do you need to undertake regarding who your creativity is for?

In order for me to find out who my target audience is, I need to look at existing fanzines and see how different genres target different individuals. Fanzines can cover a wide-ranging number of topics, however, they predominantly focus on music. This is therefore a starting point for me in terms of my audience. By sending surveys and questionnaires out to my peers and also publishers, I will be able to gain a better understanding of whom my project should be targeted at, and where their interests lie. This will then allow me to research into methods of distribution, and how this can effect how my audience receives and takes in the information given to them. Fanzines have a particular way of spreading messages and ideas, and therefore this will be an important factor when it comes to audience consideration. I will also need to make sure that I look into tone of voice, and how this will change depending on who my audience is. This will need to reflect the visuals as well as the content of the publication.

Primary Sources of Information
1. Description	Peer survey sent out through use of college e-mail
Location	Leeds College of Art
2. Description	Questionnaires to be sent to writers and publishers of fanzines
Location	Leeds College of Art
3. Description	Fanzines in context, exploration of where they are sold, methods of distribution etc
Location	/

Secondary Sources of Information
1.	The Book of Zines: Reading from the Fringe, Chip Rowe
2.	Notes from the Underground: Zines and the Politics of Alternative Culture, Stephen Duncombe
3.	Subcultures: Cultural Histories and Social Practice, Ken Gelder
4.	Cut, Paste, Publish: The Production and Consumption of Zines, Michele Knobel and Colin Lankshear
5.	DIY Culture: Party and Protest in Nineties Britain, George McKay
6.	DIY: The Rise of Lo-Fi Culture, Amy Spencer

Perceived problems or difficulties:

- Large number of different zine genres may make it difficult to pin point both audience and content in terms of my practice - Measuring whether or not zines are still relevant in today’s society and finding out whether or not they have a future, fear of it becoming something subjective - Response rates of questionnaires and surveys, people tend not to fill them in and don’t always give honest responses