Alyssa Bernardo

Pink Press

Mixed Media

2020

Pink Press is a collection of zines authored within Canada. The project is focused on interactivity and in giving a voice to the lens of the oppressed so that we might decolonize Canadian discourse. Zines are usually personal, niche, and rarely intended for seeking profit. They are vastly undervalued by Canadian academia as they are neither considered pure literature nor fine art. However, zines are a common medium of subcultures for the purpose of humanitarianism.They have contributed greatly to feminist, LGBTQ+, and health activism. Due to their ease of creation, cheapness of production, and their acceptance of difference and originality, zines make it easy for even members of marginalized groups to involve themselves. Zines are the most appropriate medium for the Pink Press project as they contribute to an alternative discourse which gives voices to the lens of the oppressed.

“In Canada, pink represents the cute and the juvenile. It is certainly not the colour of academic professionalism. In this thesis, pink symbolizes an alternative to the institution of Canadian academia.”

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These illustrations break linear perspective, otherwise known as the colonial eye. The illustrations instead opt for a multi-perspective, representing the importance of multiple voices in discourse.

As a collection of zines, the Pink Press features work about a variety of themes, in different formats, authored by different zinesters. Using this pink brand identity and logo helps to tie all this diversity together visually.

To some, a hand-coded website can also be considered a zine. With the saturation of template-based website building services, we see that many websites take a similar form. A hand-coded website is the alternative to template-based websites which dominate the internet and is the reason why pinkpress.glitch.me is 100% hand-coded.

I was lacking in zine submissions for the Pink Press. I decided there needed to be a fun, quick, and easy way for people to get involved. This is why I came up with the Co-Authored by OCADU Series. The idea behind these comics is to facilitate spontaneous co-writing. I created a page of blank panels and attached a pencil on a string. The instructions state: “Fill in the next panel!” I posted these interactive posters around OCADU, bringing in around 6 full comics per week!

Pin-back buttons are a great incentive to get people involved in the zine-making process at an exhibition or workshop. Since buttons are wearable, they are also effective advertising that are inexpensive to produce.

Witty prompt cards are useful for an exhibition in case participants are unsure of a topic for their zine. Participants can simply select a prompt from the deck and start writing and/or drawing.

Work by

Alyssa Bernardo

Graphic Design