6 Indie Zine Publishers That Won’t Break the Bank

posted by Si Cunningham June 10, 2020

Small-press zines are the perfect marriage of design and digestible content, with heaps of pretty publications widely available to suit all interests. Just as the print press revolutionised the spread of news and information, the newfound respect for independent and DIY publishing helps democratise the world of design and culture. People of Print will continue to regularly highlight zines, new and old, from around the planet, but for now here’s a few of our favourites to feast your eyes on.

KioskKiosk was formed as a platform to support young creatives, and is now an eclectic hotbed of publications from a diverse mix of illustrators, designers, and photographers. As you might expect from a publisher designed to support up-and-coming creatives, Kiosk is the brainchild of a highly ethical indie design studio, Pavilion.

DittoLondon-based Ditto publishes a load of weird and wonderful zines celebrating subcultures from around the world. By their own admission, a lot of the zines are very much “NSFW” – then again, with everyone working from home at the moment, who are we to judge? Fill ‘yer boots!

Colpa PressFrom the sunny streets of San Francisco comes a design and print studio that publishes art books, as well as a number of eye-catching zines dedicated to rave culture. Colpa Press founded the San Fran Art Book Fair in 2016, so you can be sure that they know their oats. And their zines.

ZinetentThe Simpsons has long since cemented its place in post-pop culture by being fertile territory for bootlegging and unauthorised homages. Zinetent is an absolute goldmine of zines dedicated to the world’s most-celebrated cartoon family.

Rituals and DeclarationsThere are zines that are pretty to look at, and there are those that make you question every being of your mortal existence and challenge the capitalist constraints of the world around you. Rituals and Declarations definitely pitches itself closer to the latter, with mesmerising articles on folklore and the world of the weird. A nice antidote to reading Metro on the train.

SlantedIf you enjoyed our blog about cities a few weeks ago, Slanted is another publication to add to your pile. Twice a year they publish a zine dedicated to international developments in design and culture, with the current issue focusing on Los Angeles. Essays, illustrations, interviews and designy-bits, all presented in a format as sprawling and eclectic as the city of angels itself.