JOURNAL

Zines: A Creative Recharge in Print

Words by Nikitha Banda & Illustration by Shruthi Hosabettu
April 1, 2026

A creative pause for the brain

As a creative, most of my time is spent ruminating about how I only consume and not create. Whatever happened to that time when we’d come after school and fill up 6 pages of our journal writing about how no one gets us? Parallely, I’d also be scolded for reading ‘too many books’, cut to now, where I mostly scroll short-form content or skim-read Reddit forums. So now, as a creative, what do I do with my reaction to all things that I’ve consumed? Is there a way to dump my thoughts without adding more to my digital fatigue?

With our notes app replacing the trusty old notebook and algorithms curating every fleeting thought, enter zines—a tangible stream of consciousness now available in all its glory as A4-sized paper, folded and ready to be read. It could be an emo poem that came to you on public transit, a moronic joke that NEEDS to get out of your head, an angry/ sulky rant on the state of the world – everything can become a zine if you decide to DIY it out.

Zeens Zynes Zines?

Zines borrow the name from the suffix of ‘magazines’ but minus all participation in the ‘cutthroat print business’. Kind of like tiny publications? Sure, but not really. Unlike magazines, zines are made without money as the motive. A scrappy budget, an intense urge to express, and some rudimentary book-binding skills are the common features of a zine.  

A DIY flip off to the system

This DIY nature of zines makes it the perfect tool for resistance. Historically, when times were unsure, zines became an outlet for design and words to express discontent and frustration. From the black literary movement, queer rights, to third-wave feminism, you’ll find a pivotal piece of literature emerging from these formats.

Rules of Misogyny by aqui Thami 

"Historically, when times were unsure, zines became an outlet for design and words to express discontent and frustration."

It’s also a testimony to the compounding effect that radical words and art can have to counter hostile spaces and narratives. I recommend watching Amy Poehler’s film, Moxie!  Set in high school, it’s a sneak peek into how a teen girl circulates her Zines anonymously to have a much-needed dialogue with the system’s failure to tackle the rampant misogyny. The result is the school being forced to acknowledge the uncomfortable reality of these young girls.

A zine page from the film, ‘Moxie’

One need not always have a radical idea or a revolutionary manifesto to shake things up (unless you do, of course). How about simply reflecting something mundane and personal? 

A safe space for your creative whims

Zines are a great tool to zoom in on your own environment and thoughts. It could be as personal as a devastating dinner that you had last night, one where you couldn’t even digest a simple small talk. The point is that it’s a safe space where the author has absolute freedom to express whatever and circulate to whomsoever it may concern.

Personally speaking

As a copywriter working in a design studio, I’m always in need of inspiration where words and art have to uplift each other. Anytime I find myself ruminating on similar words, I open zines to look at the brief with a fresh pair of eyes. 

When it comes to the act of making zines, I use this exercise to ramble, write and draw, selfishly. The priority is experimenting more than perfecting. While I make zines mostly for my loved ones, here are some of my favourite personal zines by some cool artists:

9 perks of being a night person by Div Rodricks

The Boys I met in Bombay by Imad

The creative stakes can be as low or as high as one wants – making it a fun medium to lay a foundation for your “dream project” or to get over a looming creative burnout. Here are some wonderful zines that tackle different creative hopes, failures, and all things in between:

Should I make a zine today or not by Ankita Shinde

Make Art by Chaitanya Modak

Want to make one?

In case the world of zines has successfully scratched a creative part of your brain, here are a few resources to get you started on your zine-making journey:

• Brattyxbre’s YouTube Page + Resources - From printable templates to documenting her zine shenanigans, she has a rich repository of zine content. 
• Fluxus Chapel - An independent art store located in the heart of Bandra, Mumbai, that features an interesting collection of Indian-based and International zines.
• @_deziners - An Instagram account dedicated to documenting zine archives across the globe.

So whenever you go, “mum was right, it’s that damn phone!”, you know what to do.

Happy zine-making!

About the Writer

Nikitha is a Copywriter at Thought Over Design. Born and brought up on the Internet and pop culture, she is a jack of all trades, master of none. From copywriting to illustration, she loves dipping her toes in all things fun and serious. In her spare time, she doomscrolls cat memes and runs her small art business.

A note about the Journal

For us at Thought Over Design ‘Creativity’ isn’t an end product. It’s an ongoing journey of inspiration that comes from fresh observations of the world, headlong dives into curious obsessions, explorations of art and culture, listening to diverse voices, and a million more places we’re still discovering.

The Journal is an experiment in sharing these musings with the world. It’s a mixed bag of scribbles from our research, inspiration sessions, lateral think pieces, work from designers we admire, pop-culture takes and often our own agenda-free creative pursuits.

The stories and ideas we share here are an attempt to not just gather our own thoughts but also leave the world a little more inspired than we found it.