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Final Storyboard

This is the final storyboard for my Future Utopia project. It focuses on the “far away” future (years after the P. gaudium mushroom is discovered and legalized for medical and recreational use) and the overall experience of that “far away” future. The concepts and ideas presented in this final storyboard were all explored in some way, shape, or form in my zine and spore solution prototypes. 

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Extra Credit Write-Up

For my final project, I took the initiative to use the technology and resources made available to me at the IDM Print Lab. By doing so, I learned a ton about printing that I literally would never have learned had I not decided to use this resource for this project. 

First, I learned about risography, which I knew nothing about before walking through the IDM Print Lab’s doors. I learned that a risograph printer is essentially a cross between a screen printer and a photocopier, and that it works by isolating layers/parts of an image, making master copies of that layer/part, and then printing them out one color at a time (you have to load these huge ink barrels into the risograph printer one at a time—the risograph doesn’t print multiple colors at once like an inkjet printer). It’s also a printing technique that consistently results in inconsistency (risographs tend to cause ink smudges, misalignment between certain elements/layers/parts of the page, etc.). This is a stylistic quirk of risography that, even though some may view as a curse, is actually part of the charm of the printing method. Because my zine was made with an underlying throughline of “consistent inconsistency”, it was pretty much a no-brainer for me to take advantage of this technology for my project. I ended up using risography for the front and back covers of my zine, and the final product couldn’t have come out more perfect in my opinion as a result. 

I also learned a little bit about binding by using the IDM Print Lab’s resources (and speaking with the TA in charge of the lab, Andrew). Andrew taught me that in zine-making, stitching (placing a staple at the crease of the pages) is the traditional method of binding. We played around with the Bostitch in the Lab to explore this method of binding, and in the end, my zine was bound by one stitch in the middle of the book’s crease. 

I also learned a lot about different paper materials by working in the Print Lab for my project. Andrew and I spent a lot of time exploring different paper options, from newspaper material to cardstock to photocopy paper to 28-pound paper, which is what I ended up using for the final prototype of my project. By feeling different paper materials, I learned about which materials are good for certain print projects and which aren’t good for zine-making (i.e., parchment paper, which is pretty much a no-go for the type of zine I was going for). I would have never explored and researched different paper materials like I had had I not have used the IDM Print Lab (had I printed this zine by myself, I probably would’ve used regular ol’ photocopy paper—ew!). 

I also learned about what inkjet printers are capable (and incapable) of. For instance, I learned that full bleeds aren’t possible on most inkjet printers, so a way to combat that and achieve a full-bleed effect is to size the image file down (thereby creating margins that line the page), and then trimming down those margins later using either a box cutter or some other paper-trimming tool. Again, I never knew this prior to my experiences at the IDM Print Lab, and I ended up carrying out this full-bleed method for my own zine. 

Overall, however, I really learned how printing and binding works, even if it was just the basics. I’ve literally never printed out a zine or book before, so learning about things like how to lay out the pages to have them print out the way I wanted them to, how to trim pages, and how to do a simple stitch, were literally things I’ve never done prior to this project. I am so incredibly grateful for this experience, as my creative process is so much more informed now that I’ve had it. It pays off to experiment and go outside of your comfort zone!

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Final Future Utopia Message

Dear Present Day Earthlings,

Do not believe in what the government and the doctors have been telling you– the “medicine” you are putting in your bodies that the government endorses is not helping you. In fact, it is KILLING you! Reassess the credibility of pharmaceutical companies and the legislation you live under, because we, the future enlightened folks, know that the medicine you are all taking is not the medicine you should be taking.

Years from your current day, you will see that NATURE, not man, has a magic medicine in store for you. It is called P. gaudium, and it is a mushroom like no other, and it will leave you disease-free and full of happiness and inner peace. Nature must run its course in order for this species of fungi to make its spectacular debut in your world, but do not fret, we may have something for you that will help speed up the process ;) 

Until then, take care of yourselves, and get ready for the revolution and movement that will take place as a result of P. gaudium.  Astonishing things will happen once this little mushroom makes an appearance in your world.

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Final Project

This is my final project, pictured with all its separate elements— an 8-page zine, a handful of P. gaudium pills, and a bottle of P. gaudium spore solution. 

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Final Prototype — Zine

This is the final prototype for my zine, which was created using digitally scanned collage art, digital text/art, hand-drawn imagery/text, risography, and inkjet printing. A notable difference between this prototype and the last was the inclusion of the small P. gaudium pill envelope, which was decorated with hand-drawn art/text and pasted on the back of the zine. This zine couldn’t have come out better in my opinion. It was literally everything I ever envisioned the publication to be and honestly even more. Through a ton of experimentation and iteration, I created a publication that I didn’t even think I was capable of creating. I am honestly so proud of this work, and wish to continue on with this type of work in the future!

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Final Prototype — P. gaudium Pills

This is the final prototype of my P. gaudium pills, which were created using gelatin pill capsules and pink and purple baking flakes. The pills are tucked away inside an envelope pasted on the back of my zine. 

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Final Prototype — P. gaudium Spore Solution  

This is the final prototype of my spore solution. For my final prototype, I used a glass tincture bottle (instead of a plastic spray bottle), and created a solution with water and corn syrup to suspend purple glitter, which emulates and represents the P. gaudium mushroom’s spores. An update from my last prototype was that I omitted the use of food coloring in my solution (I found the food coloring made the solution too dark and intense for my liking). I absolutely love the way this final prototype came out. It was almost exactly how I envisioned it to be when I first started conceptualizing the object, and I think I did a good job of creating a tincture that looks just as magical and unreal as the P. gaudium mushroom is! 

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Zine Prototyping — Printing and Binding!

After my (super helpful) consultation at the print lab with Andrew, I went in the next day and printed my zine off! Here are more pics that show the zine in all its printed and bound glory! 

As you can see, the front cover is a mix of inkjet printing (for the collage) and risography (for the text, rectangles, etc.), the inside pages are all ink-jetted, and the back cover is all risography. This mix of printing techniques makes the piece look so much cooler and also further reiterates the concept of collage that I’ve embraced all throughout the prototyping of this zine!

We printed off all the zine pages on two double-sided sheets of 8.5x11 28-lb paper. Because the printer we were using couldn’t print a full bleed, we sized down my zine pages to make some margins to the document to trim off later. Below is a picture of these margins (which, you can tell from the above images, were later trimmed off): 

After trimming off the margins and folding the sheets halfway vertically, I then bound the two sheets with one staple stitch in the center of the zine. 

I absolutely love the way the zine came out. It is absolutely perfect in my opinion and love how my explorations all led into a project that I honestly didn’t expect would turn out this good. I especially love the risography... what a difference it makes when you try out something new! 

To finish off the zine, all I have to do is attach the envelope to the back cover and fill it up with my pills. I can’t believe it is nearly done! All the hard work put into it really paid off! 

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Zine Prototyping — Envelope Art 

As one of the final refinements for my zine, I decided to hand-draw some art on the envelope that is pasted on the back of the zine (and contains my P. gaudium pills!). I decided to hand-draw on the envelope, because hand-drawn elements were not uncommon in the zines ofthe 60s/70s that I researched, and I thought it would be a nice, fun touch to end off the zine on the back page. 

Here are some variations of envelope art I experimented with as I brainstormed what I wanted the final product to look like: 

After brainstorming these variations, I thought the third variation (pictured right above this text) was the best of the lot. I specifically liked how big the mushrooms were in this variation, and how bold they looked as a result of their size. However, I didn’t like the text on the flap of the envelope. I didn’t like how that text was so close to the “See for yourself” text on the back cover, and overall I just didn’t think it was really needed. 

With these thoughts in mind, I created a second version of this third variation. Below is what I came up with: 

I loved the way this second version came out! I especially like the “peekaboo” text inside the envelope and how inundating and chaotic the mushroom design looks. I thought it was splendid! 

However, I thought it could be even better and bolder, so I went ahead and spruced it up a little in a third (and final) version!  

I LOVE the way this third version turned out! I love how bold and graphic the design looks and I especially love the little inconsistencies that it has from it being a hand-drawing with ballpoint pen. I think it fits the style of the rest of my zine super well and again further reiterates the idea of collage and mixed media throughout my piece. I love love love it! 

Moving forward for the final prototype of the zine, I will simply paste this envelope onto the back page and fill it up with my pills!

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Spore Solution Prototyping — Experimenting With New Liquid & Bottle!

A few days ago, my glass tincture bottles arrived in the mail! As soon as I received them, I went ahead and placed two labels on the front and back of one of the bottles to test if the labels would fit. Miraculously, they fit perfectly! This means that I can move forward with using this bottle as opposed to the plastic spray bottle I used for the first prototype of my spore solution or purchasing a new bottle type. I absolutely love this new bottle. Thematically, it connects to my message a lot more and aesthetically, it looks so cute (especially with the labels on it)!

After locking down the new bottle, I then focused my attention on perfecting the liquid inside it. For the first prototype, the liquid was all off—all I did was put glitter inside colored water and thought that the glitter would float. Alas, it didn’t, and it instead clumped up to the top of the spray bottle I was originally using. 

Going into this next round of prototyping, I researched a couple of ways to make glitter float in a solution. Through my research, I ended up coming across an article that laid out instructions for an emulsified, suspended glitter formula for snow globes. In the article, it said that this formula would suspend glitter and the glitter would never separate. Intrigued, I gathered the materials needed for the formula and got down to creating it myself. Here is what I did: 

1) First, I filled the glass tincture bottle up to the 2/3 full mark with corn syrup. 

2) Next, I added my purple glitter (the same glitter I used in the first prototype). 

3) Then, I added food coloring to make the formula the dark purple-ish color I imagined the P. gaudium spores to be colored. 

4) Next, I added water to completely fill the bottle with solution. 

5) Finally, I shook the bottle well to mix all the ingredients. 

The final product honestly blew me away. Below is a video of how it turned out: 

As you can see, the glitter is completely suspended in the solution. It will never separate and it barely moves when you move the bottle. I thought this was so cool and added to the weird/magical vibe I was originally going for for this object. By having the glitter suspended in this formulation, it looks as though it is this magical liquid that doesn’t belong in real life, which I really like. I especially like the concept of the glitter not being able to separate because it gives it less of a handmade, DIY look (if the glitter separates, it clearly looks like I just put glitter in some water/oil and called it a day), and more of a polished, almost lava lamp/snow globe-y effect. It almost looks like an art piece now, which I think is really cool and gives it the extra uumpf that the first prototype needed in my opinion. 

Moving forward into the final prototyping phase for the spore solution, I am definitely going to use this suspended glitter formula. The next steps simply include making another bottle with this formula and adhering the real labels (not these test labels), and that will be it! Getting to the very end! 

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Zine Prototyping — Printing/Binding Exploration @ the IDM Print Lab!

Before I could actually print and bind my zine, I first wanted to explore the options available to me at the IDM print lab. I set up a consultation appointment with Andrew Lau, the print lab TA, and together, we did a bunch of exploration in preparation for my zine printing! 

First, I showed Andrew my files and explained to him what I was thinking for my zine (printing two pages of my zine on one sheet of 8.5x11 paper and folding the sheet for zine pages that measure 8.5x5.5). I also spoke to him about my vision on what kind of paper I wanted to use (I was thinking a light cardstock or possibly a thicker and more substantial inkjet paper), as well as binding (I was thinking of a “stitch” binding where I staple at the crease of the zine). 

After explaining my vision to Andrew, we then got into the more technical stuff. First, I expressed my concerns about printing my pages full-bleed (the layout of my pages all have full bleeds). I asked him how we could possibly get this done, and he suggested that we size down the page files and then print on regular 8.5x11, then trim the margins created by sizing down the images. To explore this, we ended up trying out this technique. Below is an image of our test-run: 

My test-run of my zine after trimming the margins created by the printer (and the size-down approach). Notice how it is slightly smaller than a 5.5x8.5 page (the dimensions of the “Gene Zine” placed alongside my zine). 

I loved the way this test-run came out! The size is absolutely perfect— it is small enough to fit in your hand and is super easy to pass around/out, which is exactly the vibe I was going for. Now that I’ve tested out this size, I’ve actually found the 8.5x5.5 dimensions are a little too big for my liking, so it all ends up working out!

We then took a look at different kinds of paper. Although I expressed to Andrew what I was going for (something small yet substantial and something that would make colors/ink pop), we did explore the options to see if there was maybe something different I would like to use. Below is a picture of some different paper materials we perused: 

We took a look at various printing papers, including standard photocopy paper, parchment paper, and news paper. 

After looking over the options, I decided on using a piece of paper that was a better version of photocopy paper (something that’s a bit thicker and that’s whiter than traditional photocopy paper so the colors pop and the pages feel substantial to the hand). Andrew advised me to go to a print shop like Staples to buy this paper in preparation for printing. 

We then focused our attention toward binding. Using the stitch binding stapler in the lab, we did a couple of test runs of the stitch binding. Below is a picture of our exploration: 

A test-run of the stitch binding stapler on regular photocopy paper. 

Overall, the stapler was pretty easy to use. I am planning on using one staple at the center of the crease (as shown above) to bind my zine, as I believe that will be enough to hold it all together since I only have two 8.5x11 sheets (8 zine pages). 

Finally, we did some exploration on the risograph printer to see if I wanted to possibly use it for the front and back covers of my zine! Below is an image of the risograph prints we made: 

The front and back pages printed with the risograph technique. Note how the collage image on the front cover is missing (this will need to be ink-jetted). 

I absolutely LOVE this new front and back design! It is so vintage-looking and zine-y! Andrew told me that we could ink-jet print the collage image onto the front cover, then risograph the elements pictured above, which I think is a wonderful idea because that further reiterates my concept of collage in this project! I am so happy we did this exploration because I literally would have never thought about doing this for my project if I hadn’t. I am so happy with the way it has turned out and I honestly feel like my project has become way cooler than I ever imagined it would be. 

I learned so much about printing just from this hour-long consultation with Andrew. From how to achieve full-bleeds, to simple binding, to risography, my process is so much more informed now and I think I have a great, bold project on my hands. I am looking forward to the actual printing and binding moving forward and am even more excited to see the final product! 

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Zine Prototyping — New Layout and Content Revisions!

After receiving feedback on the first iteration of my zine, I went ahead and synthesized the notes I got to revise the zine’s content and try to “lock it down” this weekend so that way early next week I can focus on printing and binding! 

Something that I really took into consideration for this round of prototyping was playing around with the elements of the page and making sure I control (through the page elements) where the reader’s eyes go. As you can probably see as you peruse through the screenshots I provided, the main messaging, keywords and important phrases/words of each page are highlighted better than the last zine prototype and “pop out” of the page. 

I also went even further with the concept of collage through these word/phrase/message highlights. As you can see in the pictures, the important phrases are encased in solid rectangles which mimick the concept of a “cut and paste” job (a la Mean Girls, ransom notes, etc.). I LOVE the way this turned out! By adding more variety to the text of each page, and furthering the collage concept, I think that the zine is overall much stronger and cohesive. 

Finally, I went ahead and compiled the pages together in the format in which I will use for printing. Each page is now 8.5″ x 5.5″ so that way when I print the pages out, two pages will be printed on one sheet of paper. This will be useful for the binding process, as I plan on folding the zine and stapling it at the crease to bind. 

The way the zine reads is much different than the way the printing layout reads (as you can see from the screenshots), but this layout will all make sense once the pages are printed and I fold the pages into halves. You will more than likely see this early next week, as I plan on printing/binding then! 

I’m pretty set on “locking” this content down, as I’m very pleased with the way everything turned out. Fingers crossed I can, and by early next week, the zine will the printed and bound and ready to go! 

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Constant Input #14 — Limitless

For my final constant input (where has the time gone?!), I decided to watch Limitless, a film starring Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro that is loosely based on the effects of Modafinil on the human mind. I found the film’s concept super interesting (it’s actually pretty funny considering this idea of taking something that expands your mind/consciousness is something I’m also exploring in my Future Utopia project), but I will say, the execution of the story wasn’t all that great in my opinion. 

I really loved the initial concept of the film. I found the first act of the film especially interesting (when Bradley Cooper’s character literally goes from being a low-life to a high performing superstar after taking NZT), but as the movie went along, it went in a bunch of directions that I didn’t quite think made for a particularly captivating ending, which is weird considering the beginning was super captivating! 

I didn’t understand why the writer(s) decided to take it in the direction of the “business side” of the drug and quite honestly I couldn’t even tell you why De Niro’s character was really needed. Going into the film (and after the end of the first act), I could’ve sworn that the film was going to go into a direction that revolved around the mafia or some sort of underground organization that sells NZT on the black market or something of that nature (which would’ve been kickass!). However, instead, it went into this strange and lackluster delve into really mundane business handlings between De Niro and Cooper’s characters, which I found to be not the best choice for the overall story. The story starts so strong... why end it so blandly? 

I also couldn’t get past some of the glaring plot holes that plagued the film from start to finish. What happened to the murder investigation? Who even killed that model? Why was the Russian loan shark so important that he becomes the villain in the end (even though Cooper’s character gives him the money he owes him long before the ending of the film)? Why does De Niro screw Cooper in the end? I have so many questions after watching this film, and to me, that’s never a good sign of a successful story (unless it’s a psychological thriller where you’re supposed to be confused). 

I will say, though, the cinematography and shot composition was great. It was definitely unique and really cool to watch— it was sort of this psychedelic shooting style (which this story definitely needs, considering it’s a film about a mind-altering drug) that I haven’t seen many times before, so that was definitely a win for this film. I also really enjoyed the soundtrack of the piece. It was this industrial, ominous score that I have never heard something quite like before, so it was super captivating and awesome to listen to. 

Overall, it was an okay film that started off really strong but ended not so hot. I wish I liked it more, considering this was my last constant input, but hey, what can ya do? At least I stuck to my schedule this semester and watched a grand total of 14 films over these past 2.5 months! Pretty awesome considering I never make time to watch movies (especially during a busy semester)! 

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Spore Solution Prototyping — Researching/Purchasing Glass Tincture Bottles!

For my first prototype of my spore solution, I initially used a plastic spray bottle to contain the solution. However, this was just a placeholder! I do not think it would be wise to continue on with the plastic spray bottle because that kind of goes against the embracing/respect toward nature in my message/narrative. 

After presenting, I knew I wanted to switch out the plastic bottle for a glass bottle, and I was pretty sure I wanted to opt for a glass tincture bottle because it GREATLY connects to my idea of the P. gaudium mushroom being the future of medicine (glass tincture bottles are commonly used for medicine, herbal remedies, etc.), and it also satisfies the requirement of it being a material that is sustainable and good for the environment. 

However, even though I knew I wanted to go in that direction, I still did a bit of exploration as I shopped for the tincture bottles. I wanted to be sure that tincture bottles were indeed the way I wanted to go before purchasing them/locking down that idea. Below are various screenshots of the different options I considered as I shopped around online for my bottles: 

These are glass bottles with twist-on caps. I liked the way they looked and how they can carry a lot of liquid, but I didn’t think they would really work since there’s nothing that will “spread” the spores with this approach (aside from the user pouring the solution, which doesn’t seem that logical, in my opinion). I definitely felt like there was a better option. 

I really liked this glass bottle version of a spray bottle, since it would make the user spread the spore solution with ease, but I still didn’t like how much plastic it has (the nozzle is plastic). Close, but no cigar. 

When I came across these bottles, I really felt like I hit the jackpot. Even though the eyedropper has a bit of rubber on it, the majority of the bottle is glass and I think it is a much more eco-friendly version of my original prototype. Again, I love the idea of a tincture bottle because of the connection back to the “medicine” aspect of the mushroom, and I just love how cute and little the bottles are! I actually had to make sure they were big enough to fit my labels (after doing some simple calculations, I think the labels will just fit), but I think it will end up working. Just in case it won’t, however, I signed up for a free trail of Prime so I could get them fast and test it out right away! Pretty certain they will work though. Fingers crossed! 

If all goes well, all that will be left to do is to perfect the liquid for the prototype, and then that part of my project will be finished up! Hopefully these bottles will be the perfect size! 

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Spore Solution Prototyping — Sketching/Brainstorming

Here are the preliminary brainstorm sketches I made while I conceptualized what I wanted my spore solution to look like. The sketches walk through my process on why I made certain decisions for my spore solution (i.e., colors, labeling, materials, etc.). 

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Pill Prototyping — Initial Process Sketches

I realized that I never posted my pill prototyping sketches, so here they are! This is a page from my sketchbook that walks you through the conceptualization process for my pills. Again, the intent was to create a pill that was edible but also whimsical, mystical and magical (to emulate the “magic” of the P. gaudium mushroom). 

For the contents of the pill, I ended up going in the direction of filling the capsules up with a mystical pink and purple “powder” (I chose a powder instead of a liquid because that is usually what “supplements” are filled with— see image below for some references I used of powder filled supplements!). 

A couple examples of herbal supplement pills I studied for the conceptualization of my P. gaudium pills. These are gingko biloba and ginseng complex pills. 

Notice how the pills are filled with a “powder” of the herbs. 

Notice how the pills are filled with a “powder” of the herbs.

The pill casing was also ideated in this sketching/brainstorming phase. I decided to use gelatin capsules like the supplements pictured above, because they were clear and you could see the mystical powder inside of them (and they are edible!). 

These sketches/supplement references were very integral in the conceptualization of my P. gaudium pills, so I had to include them here on my process blog! 

I love the way my pills ended up, so moving forward, I will simply just make more of the pills to include in the envelope attached to my zine! 

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Zine Prototyping — Layout Brainstorming/Exploration Sketches

Here are some sketches of variations of my layouts for each page of my zine. Each page has about 4-6 variations of how the layout of each page could look like. Some of these sketches/layout ideas were ideated before I created my zine, and some were ideated now as a supplemental layout exercise to explore the possibilities of how the zine could look like as I revise and refine. 

For the most part, I am happy with the layout of my current zine (especially the cover page, back page, “pill breaking” page, and the page that lists out all the benefits for the P. gaudium mushroom). However, now that I look at all these variations/possibilities in front of me, there are a couple of layout options that I am considering using as I move forward and lock down my zine content this weekend. 

I also went ahead and did some exploration of incorporating the ad column elements throughout the zine instead of on one page. Below are screenshots of my exploration: 

I’m going to be honest, I really don’t like this direction. I think it kind of goes against what I’m trying to go for in terms of creating a zine that stylistically is cohesive but each page is its own entity (and own “unit”). However, I do think that the ad column page needs work, so I’m thinking of using one of the variations shown in my sketches to include more imagery in the ad column and make it a bit more dynamic, persuasive, and whimsical. 

Something about this inclusion of the ad material in the rest of the material just doesn’t feel right; I think it would make the zine become more of a magazine format rather than a fanzine/informational pamphlet format, and I’m really trying to go toward the latter than the former. 

I will be continuing on with the content prototyping for my zine this weekend, and then after that, it’s off to the printing and binding stage!