Zine Creation

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Produce a collaborative, tangible visual publication that synthesizes group ideas on a specific subject.

Use it when: Use when a team or community group needs to synthesize ideas, summarize findings, or voice diverse perspectives through visual and written media.

Skip it when: Skip when the group needs to make rapid binding operational decisions, produce formal data reports, or when table space and tactile materials are unavailable.

Group arrangement: Small groups of 3 to 5 participants per table

Timing: Source recommends 60 to 120 minutes. Planned here for a 60-minute standard workshop session.

Materials and tools

• Sheets of blank paper (A4 or A3, at least 4 per group)
• Scissors (1 to 2 pairs per group)
• Glue sticks (1 to 2 per group)
• Markers, pencils, and pens (assorted set per group)
• Old magazines, newspapers, or printed image sheets for collage (1 bundle per table)
• Staplers or rolls of clear or washi tape (1 per table)
• Sample folded paper zine prepared before the session as a visual model
• Digital zine board template prepared on an online whiteboard (for remote or hybrid delivery)
• Flat display surface or wall space to show finished zines

Before participants arrive

1. Organize tables with 3 to 5 chairs each.
2. Fold one blank sheet into a sample 4-page booklet to show during the introduction.
3. Distribute paper, scissors, glue, writing tools, and print clippings on each work surface.
4. Set up a central display table or clear wall space for final viewing.
5. If running online or hybrid, set up the multi-frame digital template boards in advance.

Say this to open

Welcome. Today we will make zines. A zine is a self-published mini-magazine made by hand. It combines short text, collage, and sketches to communicate a clear point of view. In small teams, you will plan, cut, write, and assemble an original zine on our chosen topic.

How to run it

1. Introduce topic and structure 8 minutes

   Deliver opening script. Present the central theme, such as 'What Our Community Needs Next'. Hold up the prepared sample folded paper zine. Divide the room into teams of 3 to 5 people. Give each team their base paper and refer them to the Zine Layout and Role Guide.

2. Plan pages and layout 10 minutes

   Teams agree on their publication message, title, and structure. They decide what goes on the front cover, inside spread, and back cover. Groups sketch quick page layouts before cutting or gluing final content.

3. Build and assemble pages 25 minutes

   Participants cut images, write headlines, sketch visuals, and glue elements onto the pages. When pages are filled, teams bind the spine using staples or tape. Announce time remaining at 10 minutes and 5 minutes.

4. Showcase publications 10 minutes

   Each team places their zine on the central display table or designates a speaker. Give each group up to 60 seconds to state their title, central message, and favorite visual detail. Keep strict time across all teams.

5. Debrief the exercise 7 minutes

   Facilitate a brief group reflection on the messages produced and the collaborative process. Take up to 3 responses from the room using the debrief questions.

Debrief questions

• What common ideas or patterns appeared across the different zines?
• How did cutting, pasting, and visual layout change the way your group framed the topic?
• Which page or section delivered its message most clearly, and why?

Finished output: A set of completed physical or digital mini-magazines bound by tape or staples displaying text and collage on the chosen theme.

Remote

Run in breakout rooms using an online collaborative canvas (such as Miro, Mural, or Canva). Provide each breakout room with a pre-formatted four-frame board template (Cover, Page 2, Page 3, Back Cover). Participants copy images, add text blocks, and arrange layout in real time. During the showcase, each team shares their screen or directs the facilitator to project their frames.

Hybrid

Pair in-person participants with on-site paper zines and form remote participants into an entirely remote team working on the digital zine template. During the showcase, project the remote team's canvas onto the room screen while in-person zines are shown to the room camera.

Access and participation choices

• Offer diverse contribution roles: participants can dictate words, sketch, organize layout, cut materials, or document ideas without needing to cut or draw personally.
• Participants may decline speaking during the showcase and instead place their zine on the table with an optional written note.

If the session gets stuck

Groups spend too long planning and run out of time to cut and paste.

Prompt teams at the 15-minute mark to start placing physical clippings and text onto the paper, even if written copy is still in draft form.

One team member dominates the artistic direction while others sit idle.

Intervene gently and suggest assigning individual pages or specific tasks from the Zine Layout and Role Guide.

Terms used here

• Zine: A self-published, small-circulation non-commercial booklet, often created by hand using collage, drawing, and brief written text.