OUGD501 Research - Riot Grrrl

OUGD501 Research - Riot Grrrl

Riot grrrl is an underground feminist hardcore punk movement that originally started in the early 1990s. Riot grrrl's momentum was also hugely supported by an explosion of creativity in defiantly homemade cut-and-paste, collagey zines that covered a variety of feminist topics, frequently attempting to draw out the political implications of intensely personal experiences in a "privately public" space. Zines often described experiences with sexism, mental illness, body image and eating disorders, sexual abuse, racism, rape, discrimination, stalking, domestic violence, incest, homophobia, and sometimes vegetarianism. Grrrl zine editors are collectively engaged in forms of writing and writing instruction that challenge both dominant notions of the author as an individualized, bodiless space and notions of feminism as primarily an adult political project. These layouts and design work so well as they are cheap, independent zines which express individual freedom, and these layouts suggests freedom as well with the way the have been juxtaposed. 

OUGD501 - Evaluative Questions to Consider

OUGD501 - Evaluative Questions to Consider

• What were your initial aims?

- To create a zine with a punk aesthetic, using features of Punk such as newspaper clipping typography, a photocopier and low production methods.

• What process/strategies have you used and why?

- Research into punk underground zines of the 1970s, literature and experimentation

• What literature have you read that informs this work?

- R, Moore and M, Roberts. 2009. Do-It-Yourself Mobilization: Punk and Social Movements. Mobilization: An International Quarterly: September 2009, Vol. 14, No. 3.

- R, Poynor. 2003. No More Rules: Graphic Design and Postmodernism. North America: Yale University Press

• Is the work effective (in terms of your aims)? In what ways? How do you know it is effective (testing)?

-  From feedback in critiques, it is successful

• Does it communicate what it should do (in what ways)? 

- It communicates a modern day punk zine 

• What are the successful elements and why?

- The minimalism and having no elements of original punk 

• What areas need improving or developing further and why?

- Need to produce the other zine

OUGD501 Practical - Zine Research

OUGD501 Practical - Zine Research

Underground punk zines feature punk literature, such as social commentary, punk poetry, news, gossip, music reviews and articles about punk rock bands or regional punk scenes. The DIY aesthetic of the punk subculture created a thriving underground press. The zines are clearly home made - made using pens, newspaper clippings and random layouts. Punk zines refused to acknowledge any category of error and encouraged amateurs to DIY, this made the zines accessible to everybody. 

OUGD501 Practical Research - Contemporary Punk Design

OUGD501 Practical Research - Contemporary Punk Design

These advertisments are really useful to look in to to see contemporary graphic design with clear punk influences. All use Punk as a reference but all do this through the means of style rather than graphic design. All expect the lynx advertisement which uses typography in quite a modern punk style, using photo manipulation to create interesting effects with typography. The other advertisements use the fashion and punk imagery to reference it punk, and combine it with contemporary branding and advertisement designs. This as in my essay, goes to show the little impact punk has had on graphic design. The fashion and style has certainly had its influence, but little elements to do with the punk aesthetic in design are used i.e. newspaper clipping typography.