Photo Project: Clouds—My Zine Layout and Sequencing Process Using Prints

In previous posts about my CLOUDS zine I’ve shared how the project is coming together as I work through the entire zine creation process. I’ve recently finished my layout and sequencing process AND ordered my copy of what I hope will be the final version of this printed zine which includes 132 pages of images (this feels like a gigantic accomplishment for me!). I thought I’d share with you how I chose to carry out the layout and sequencing process. This isn’t the only way to go about this and I thought I’d share with anyone else who may have an interest in seeing one way to do this or for anyone who might like to see a little behind-the-scenes look at what has gone into printing this project.

Quite some time ago I spent an evening cutting plain white printer paper to 8”x8” which was the size I chose for my printed zine. I didn’t do anything fancy—I tend to be a fairly practical person. In order to hold the pages together I just used two holes of a three hole paper punch to punch two holes in each page. Then I used some brown string I had on hand to tie the pages together.

I sorted through my large stack of prints—I had previously used a Sharpie and labeled the back of each print with the file name for each image—and grouped images together that looked like they would complement one another on two page spreads. Then I used washi tape—so that it wouldn’t leave marks on the prints and would come off fairly easily if I needed to rearrange any images—to hold the prints in place on each page.

I chose to use Scribus—open source desktop publishing software—as I didn’t want to spend money to purchase additional software. When I moved to the computer so that I could put the images into the desktop publishing software I appreciated how simple it was for me. I just glanced at the back of each print so that I knew exactly what file was needed for each image which I found to be a very simple, enjoyable process.

As I shared before—this certainly isn’t the only way to handle the layout and sequencing process—this is the process that appealed to me. I really appreciated being able to work with prints rather than trying to do this all on a computer screen. It was refreshing to be able to hold the actual prints in my hands, study them for similarities that would work well together for two page spreads, and get to enjoy the physical process of taping each photo in its place. It was nice to be able to turn the pages of my makeshift zine so that I could get an idea how things might look as a series when the final version of the project is printed.

Thank you for taking the time to check out my layout and sequencing process for my CLOUDS zine. I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas about any process you’ve done that has worked well for you or any thoughts you may have on creating zines. And I’m looking forward to being able to share more with you when I receive my printed CLOUDS zine in the mail!