'Different by Design' zine

Create the 2026 edition of the Different by Design zine created by students and published by the University of Reading’s Typography and Graphic Communication department. Redefining previous year’s zine format while retaining its unique qualities. Highlighting unique and diverse voices in the creative industry.

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Duration

June 2025 – May 2026

Client

Typography & Graphic Communication Department

Services

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Editorial

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Brand strategy

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Motion

Challenge

How do we innovate on the popular format that all previous years followed? Past teams of students chose to create an A5 ‘booklet-esque’ format for their publication. Having visited the Wellcome Collection’s Zines Forever! exhibition months prior we were inspired to do something radically different. We also wanted to highlight more individual student stories – giving everyone in the wider school a platform to voice their experiences, frustrations and worries. We created a survey for students to anonymously submit their responses to our guiding questions but left it open to accommodate varied responses.

Earlier Different by Design cover reading “I am, we are different by design” in bold colourful shapes
Black Different by Design page with the dbd logo and repeated “different by design” text beside an introduction
Moodboard of blue-toned zine spreads, photography and Japanese typography

Solution

We established a brand identity for the project, and expanded on the booklet format by creating a packet of four zines themed around individual topics. Tied together through their cohesive theming around the CMYK printing colours. The Cyan zine focused on mental health, Magenta on Women’s health, Yellow on Diversity and Inclusion and Key (black) on Finance. The four zines were then packaged together using a branded band. Each zine was printed on custom paper sponsored by Antalis.

Stack of blue mental health zines wrapped in a Different by Design paper band on a wooden table
Rows of banded blue Different by Design zines laid out together
Zines being hand-assembled on a workshop table, with boxes of printed packets and a cutting mat
Animation software timeline for the Instagram reel, showing the dbd logo with CMYK colour blocks
Stack of blue mental health zines wrapped in a Different by Design paper band on a wooden table
Rows of banded blue Different by Design zines laid out together
Zines being hand-assembled on a workshop table, with boxes of printed packets and a cutting mat
Animation software timeline for the Instagram reel, showing the dbd logo with CMYK colour blocks

Impact

We chose to hand produce this year’s edition to reduce production costs and to bring in a handmade quality to the zines. Leaning into slight variations and imperfections between each zine and each packet. Embracing the whole “different by design” identity as each packet varies from the other.

To build more awareness for our edition we created a short Instagram reel to advertise this year’s zine. Creating a short animation, sound designing it and posting it on the department Instagram.

‹ UN Global Goal 9 promotional campaign

Optative – experimental artwork journal ›