Zine Challenge Guide

MODA
The Future Happened
About Us
Museum of Design Atlanta’s
new digital exhibit, “The Future
Happened” examines the
evolution of how we listen,
share, and experience music.
It showcases the opportunity
to reimagine the possibilities
of social experiences, live
performances, and sensory
expression.
The Future Happened education initiative is a program
aiming to spark an understanding of the vital roles that
music plays in our lives, and how art acts as a door to these
ideas. The program encourages participants to explore and
utilize their creative capacity for visual storytelling through
Zines. Participants can construct art that expresses who
they are by reflecting on their culture, emotions, and stories.
NEW IDEAS OF MUSICAL
EXPRESSION CONTINUE TO
INFLUENCE THE FUTURE OF MUSIC
AND CULTURE AS A WHOLE.
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Education Program
Zine Challenge

MODA
The Future Happened
What is a
Zine?
Zines were first used to promote
punk music in the 1970s, a time
when this type of music received
very little interest from the larger
press music. They are often selfpublished
print media with a small
circulation and distributed through
mail order or word of mouth.
However, digital publishing and
social media tools now allow for
greater virtual collaborations and
no circulation rules which means
the possibilities are endless.
Zines promote a DIY and tactile
aesthetic to share stories that draw
from personal perspectives. They
tend to cover niche topics and can
come in many different shapes,
sizes, colors, textures, and formats.
It’s a great way to share something
that you are passionate about. So,
now that you know what a zine is
let’s explore how to get started.
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Education Program
Zine Challenge

MODA
The Future Happened
Finding
Your Voice
WHAT IS YOUR PERSPECTIVE?
If you’ve never made a zine
before, starting might seem
intimidating. Don’t worry because
there is no barrier of entry, you
can do anything you want. If you
are interesting in making a zine,
the first step is to choose a topic.
Take a look at some of the steps
that might help you uncover
what makes a good zine for YOU
to work on. Also check out The
Future Happened exhibit and look
at the themes as a starting point
for exploration.
Just start, sometimes starting is
the hardest part!
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3
DOCUMENT
As you start conceptualizing your zine, you might want to create a journal
or mood board to record your ideas. You can also start a collection of
magazine clippings, patterned papers, images, poems, collages and any
other ephemera you might find inspiring.
2
ASK
Think about:
What is special about your neighborhood or community?
Where do you look for good music and how does it influence you?
Are there social issues or causes that you care about?
Do you have any hobbies that you are passionate to share?
COLLABORATE
Depending on what you want to do, it might make sense to co-create with
friends, or get input from your community. You could ask for people to
submit content like interviews, illustrations, essays or artwork for your
zine. This could be a great way to learn about your own community.
4
FORMAT
Think about how you want your zine to look and feel like. Do you want it
to fit into your pocket, or be online and digital? Will you fold, staple, print
or have it bound somewhere? Find a tool (digital or physical) that you love
working with or would like to learn.
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STYLE
Spend some time thinking about the overall branding and style of your
zine. What color palletes, font choices, and other design elements feel
appropriate for your chosen topic? How will the zine be edited and flow?
Consider whether it will be a traditional publication with an introduction,
table of contents and sections or something more organic?
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Education Program
Zine Challenge

MODA
The Future Happened
Creative
Direction
ZINE IDEAS:
Once you’ve landed on a general
topic and plan for your zine,
it’s now time to get down to the
details and find your impact.
How specific can you get in
terms of the content your zine
will cover? And what kind of
impression or knowledge do you
want your readers to walk away
with? Having answers to these
questions will help you gain more
clarity into the design of the zine
and what you communicate.
• Interview someone
inspirational - what do they
know about your topic?
• Look at ways to fold a zine.
There are a ton of Youtube
tutorials and Pinterest
boards readily available.
• Create original artwork -
paint, draw, collage, write
songs, photography
• Research local zines that
are in circulation or famous
zines through history for
more inspiration.
• Use QR codes on
physical zines to
share music playlists,
animations, videos.
• Cover an event or issue
that is important for
your community.
Think about the stories you want
to tell and highlight to really make
it meaningful!
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Education Program
Zine Challenge

MODA
The Future Happened
Resources
Whether you chose digital tools,
physical arts and craft materials
or a hybrid of both, here are a list
of free and low-cost tools and
materials that will make your zinemaking
process easier. It might
be worth checking community or
academic resources available to
you as well. The sky is the limit
when it comes to what you can
get creative with!
DIGITAL TOOLS
GOOGLE DRIVE: Use google drive to digitally
organize and plan your content.
CANVA
FIGMA
TYPOGRAPHY: Dafont, Fontsquirrel
VECTOR GRAPHICS: Undraw
ICONS: Nounproject
INFOGRAPHICS: Hubspot
PHOTOGRAPHY: Poloroid, any other camera, or
your phone.
DOWNLOADABLE TEMPLATES: Search online
for InDesign or Microsoft Word templates.
PHYSICAL MATERIALS
PAPER: Poster, Printer Paper, Cardstock
DRAWING TOOLS: Pencils, Markers, Paints
GLUE
SCISSORS
TAPE (DOUBLE-SIDED)
CUTTING MAT
PAPER CLIPS
HOLE PUNCHER
BOOK BINDING NEEDLE
LINEN THREAD
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Education Program
Zine Challenge

MODA
The Future Happened
Sharing
Your Zine
Always be mindful of properly
giving credit where it’s due when
sourcing your content as you think
about sharing your zine.
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DISTRIBUTION
If you would like to physically print your zine, find local print shops
and make a list of local options that will help you decide the most
feasible option. Sometimes universities or schools offer discounts for
printing as well. Once you have your physical or digital copy of your
zine, make sure to send a copy to people who contributed to your
zine. Considering mailing the zines or working with local stores to
put them on display for purchase. Distributing zines are a great way
for getting to know your local community.
2
PROMOTION
If you are considering advertising your zine to a larger audience, your
personal website or social media is a good place to start. Make sure
to also get your co-creators and contributors to pass on the word
about your amazing zine! Also engage with local zine communities to
help spread the word. If you plan on having multiple issues of your
zine, consider collating them on an Instagram or other social media
page to showcase the entire collection as you produce them.
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TRADING
Once you get involved with zine communities, workshops and other
social events, trading is a great way to not only share your work but
also collect other zines in return. Don’t forget that social media is
also a great platform to market that you are ready to trade your zine!
Once you’re satisfied with your
work, follow the submission details
to share your zine with the world!
Submit Zines to:
zines@museumofdesign.org
Post online with hashtag:
#FutureHappenedZine
Check out the MODA Education
Link for examples of zines.
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Education Program
Zine Challenge