After finalising what my designs for each page of my zine would be I started to explore what would be the best methods to create them. I created this using small letter stamps and created a paragraph of random letters with a word from ‘Chaos is the law of nature’ in each line. At first I wasn’t sure whether to leave it as it was, but I felt the viewer wouldn’t be able to see the message within it but then I thought was that not the reason behind it, to show the chaos. So, using Illustrator and printed versions with markers, I explored how each would look.
Using photoshop, I used the glowing edges filter to change my images of magnetic letters. I particularly liked this image due to it’s perspective and it allowed me to add smaller text in at different angles. I feel the composition links back to the idea of chaos as you have to look around at different places to make the sentence within the image.
Similar to before, I photographed a composition I created for the geometric page in my zine as I wanted to make that I was able to get the perspective and angles correct. I feel this design would link back to the idea of chaos and order as there is order to make sure each block is balanced but however is could be considered chaotic as its hard to tell the angle you are looking at it from in the drawing and how they are all connected isn’t clear. I think this could fit as a double spread in my zine, so I rotated it and drew it up on Photoshop.
Digital experimentals with geometric style:
Keeping with the analogue technique, I created some illustrations I might want to include, but after experimenting with font and typography, I think it would suit better to make that the focus.
I feel this is one of my more successful experiments which I created using photoshop. My initial idea was the image on the left and while I was looking for a suitable filter I tried out the glowing edges again and I thought it created a effective design. I feel both are effective, but I think the right one is more striking against the black background. However, the colours clash making the font hard to see, so I split the two to see what it would look like as a double page spread.
After this, I explored some more digital work that would fit into my zine with the symbol for the chaos theory. I think this could be a simple design that could go opposite some of my more busier single pages.
Another option for a double spread is the digital design below, where I collaged the words ‘Chaos’ and ‘Order’ in different languages. The idea behind it is that it may seem chaos to people who don’t know the languages, but if you know the languages it’s in perfect order. Linking back to the idea that it depends on your point of view.
In terms of nature, I wanted to explore creating possible spreads with lightning as the focus as we considered it to be random and chaotic, but it is necessary to keep order in nature by releasing energy. Using a quick digital drawing and photographs, I added the glowing edges filter in Photoshop as I felt it might work well on one of my black backgrounds.
Another possible design to go on one of the black spreads is a brain scan. I focused in on scans of brains with OCD as I think it could link well to the idea that one person’s chaos isn’t as chaotic to another person i.e. a simple mess to someone could be chaotic to someone with OCD. Again I used glowing edges to manipulate the images.
Using photoshop, I created one of my initial sketches of the font falling down the page. I warped the first three words but kept order mainly normal, almost falling into place after all the chaos.
During my research I looked into how weather could be considered in terms of both chaos and order. The one thing I focused on was the idea of being in the eye of the storm and how it is the calm and order in between the chaos of the storm on both sides. Butterflies were another common feature so I decided to combine the two on photoshop.
Keeping with weather, I created these stamp like images on photoshop of a volcano and wave as we would consider both to be chaotic at times but again it is only the law of nature, bringing order and balance.
My last experimental for my zine was with the yin-yang symbol. I feel this symbolises one of the message I want to convey in my zine that there cannot be one without the other, order controls chaos and chaos rebels against order.
After carrying out my experimentals for my zine, I updated my zine layout so that the images on each double spread complemented each other. Also, I swapped some of my initial ideas with the new experimentals as I felt they would suit my theme better. With this new layout, my main focus within ‘Chaos & Order’ was asking questions like is there really one without the other and are they dependent on each other?
