I opted to use the name ‘PLAYSTYLE’ for the publication. It’s a name I’ve been intent on using for some time in some capacity; the idea for this project far predates GCD, though its form is evolving naturally. In the context of games, a ‘playstyle’ is simply ‘how you go about playing the game’ and I think it fits well for a zine focusing on how people interact with games.
This week I spent more time working on the actual typography of the zine, having moved onto experiments with a five column format. At a glance I feel this format better accommodates my content; I am able to divide interviews into concise sections, delegating one column per answer whilst still fitting in a front and back cover with more extensive details.
I introduced a third piece of pre-prepared content. I’ve found working on a number of ‘issues’ simultaneously is proving productive in building a system that could potentially accommodate a variety of types of content going forward.
I started out using a serif typeface, along with a pixellated heading typeface to give some subtle suggestion of the art history of games. I have since concluded that the serif isn’t working for me, since seeing it in print. Creating something clean and modern is a conscious aim, as I am seeking contrast with the traditions of video game-adjacent publication design, which historically have been driven by the marketing line of the publishers who control access to the images and content a designer in this context would be able to use. To challenge a codified idea of games is to challenge these design norms, too.
I settled on Neue Haas Grotesk; hardly a radical decision in a graphic design context, but perhaps so in the context of a zine about games. I retroactively revisited the interview I had started with and re-worked it into this new five-column style. Additionally, I made a deliberate decision to include guidelines on the printed version. I am keen for anyone who picks up a copy of the zine to be able to photocopy it at home for physical sharing and to be able to fold it up as easily as possible.
Further to this I made a number of test prints on coloured paper. I like the idea that someone can re-produce the basic layout on any material they like. I quickly hit the realisation, however, that this is impractical; photocopying the layout if it’s printed on colour paper will lead to the colour of the paper being replicated and therefore an unclear and wasteful print. Too bad!