Enterprise//Zines I own.

Blogging and researching a  couple of examples of hand-crafted zines I own, bought from two Leeds-based craft fairs, The 2011 International Book Fair at Leeds University, and Reetsweet at the Corn Exchange- a great example of work produced in the local area (potential client connections for contacts within our business proposal?) and the variety of work that is produced (in terms of style, message, content, colour scheme, stocks, formats, folds, and so on)- more annotation and review(s) written below the images.

From these examples, I will go on to search for print makers and designers in Leeds who may be potential contacts for our proposed company, and whose work we can promote, as if we were retailers in Leeds (supporting the work of student and young professional designers).

This hotdog fold zine was created by friend and fellow BAGDer, Beth Yates for part of our group sale at The Leeds International Book Fair 2011. As a big fan of repeat image prints and hand-rendered work, the illustrative style of the zine really appealed to me. The simplicity of printing the monochrome pattern onto the block colour stock works really well as a low-cost, bulk print item.

Again- bought at the Leeds International Book Fair 2011, I really liked this colouring book style zine- a really unique, reversed out, illustrative narrative running throughout, and great for it's target audience of children to help keep them engaged by originally selling with a pack of miniature colouring pencils too! A really great idea. Usually, I feel people associate zines with more of the "trendy teen" market, but printed publications and zines have a lot of potential to expand outside this audience, and to open up other key demographics.

Love this tongue-in-cheek play on words book which is certainly more suited for an adult audience! Again, purchased at The Leeds International Book Fair 2011, this zine publication shows how simply illustrations can be applied, and how effectively, when in a humourous or entertaining context. In my mind, I think that this is the kind of work that would sell really well- low cost, but fun and engaging.

This zine, 'Bruges in famous for it's buzzers', was bought just after I returned from a winter break in Bruges in 2010/11 at 'Reetsweet' in Leeds' corn exchange. Again- quite different in style and content. In my experience, photographic zines don't tell to sell as well as illustrative/typographically driven publications, but there's certainly a niche market for them- and appeal particularly to our company's target market of students, as they often appear to be much "trendier" with unedited, "raw" street-style photography.

 

'Everybody's book of kittens' in a hand-rendered illustrative and typographic zine created by Norwich-based illustrator Gemma Correll, and sold at Leeds' 'Reetsweet' by one of her stockists and friends, Helen Entwistle (aka 'Memo'). I love the textured, monochrome, hand-rendered style that Gemma is so famous for- a really distinct child-like style that creates a sense of nostalgia, whilst still appearing sharp, edgy and fun- a great all-rounder.