
“I knew about zines before they were cool!”—Someone in the 1500s
When I was in middle school, I got my first glimpse of a 90s zine. My neighbor Erin, who was the coolest girl I knew, had one in her bedroom. And between going to raves and punk shows, she was making her own zines too.
It was a xeroxed black and white booklet filled with essays, lyrics, and Geocities domains. I remember running my fingers over the photocopied sequins and paper pieces that would have been taped down to the original sheets. I regarded it as a true work of art as I held it in my hands.
Ever since then, I’ve become enamored with zines and their DIY appeal. They’re a creative, renegade way to transmit inspiration, information, and ideas in circles small and large, from little subcultures to entire movements.
Today we’re going to make a “mini inspo zine” so you can carry a little bit of motivation with you throughout the day, give them to your friends, or take it in a totally different creative direction. There are endless ways to utilize this format. I made a little 8-page mood board of sorts.
Watch the video for a mini-history lesson on zines and find out how I made this one:
Download the free mini-zine template (PSD).
Creative Market Elements
I’m a Creative Market Partner, meaning I will receive a small percentage of any sale you make through my links. It costs nothing extra and is a great way to support my channel as well as talented multi-media designers!
✧ La Femme mood board mockup collection
✧ Wild Flowers geometric illustrations collection
You can also check out these royalty-free photo sites for gorgeous images to use in your creative projects:
✧ Pexels
✧ Unsplash
Finally, you can read a brief overview of zine history here. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Hey Mishka YouTube Channel for DIY, creative living vlogs, and more.