ZINE: BITMAP VOL. 20

typography, packaging

The Challenge

This zine was a 16-page typography assignment that I worked on as a student, printed and packaged. This zine covers the topic of The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, a renown sci-fi series that traverse numerous platforms. A radio series, a video game, a film… it has a story like none other. Because of that, I felt the need to create a zine that explains it all!

The Solution

I began my work process with a grid; it allowed two columns of text per page, and ensured that all of my spacing was consistent throughout my pages. My content was gathered from the sources noted below, and I began to section out the zine.

As this was a typography assignment, I took particular care in choosing my fonts. The strong, serif headings are Playfair Display in Black. Subheadings are mostly Raleway in Black, and in Small Caps. And lastly, the body type are also variants of Raleway.

Right as I started the design process, I knew that I wanted a bright red cover. I created the vector graphics in Illustrator — this included the out-facing lines on the inside cover, as well as the squared font used for the BITMAP logo that I created myself. To match, I created a sci-fi themed “bar code” in the same style right above it, where the words “VOL 20” are spelled out in the dots.

The Result

Not pictured is the packaging I created to go along with the zine. A heat-sealed plastic lining wrapped the zine, and using a transfer marker, I transferred text and graphics onto the plastic. On the front, the words “DON’T PANIC” were laid in white overtop the outlined text of the zine. In the back, I transferred my recourse links and a mock-postage stamp with sending details to insinuate that this zine is sent to space travellers in emergencies.

A live preview/demo of my book can be viewed using the link above!

Recourses: H2G2 The Guide, The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Original Radio Series, Novels, 2005 Film, 1984 Video Game) by Douglas Adams