JOO CHIAT ZINE
For this zine, I want to include the past and the future which is shown in the sentences for the different page. Using puns to include some past elements to my thoughts on Joo Chiat now.
As for the visuals, I would like to show the architectural forms and elements that I extract from the photos I took and some illustration.
2nd page:
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OR
3rd page:
Critics and reflection
As I received the first critic for my first mockup, I realized and agreed that it does not do justice for the place due to its very dull and dark visuals. And usage of old and dark colored windows wasn’t a good idea.The colors and images used don’t represent the Joo Chiat area which is colorful, bright and lively. Therefore, I decided to take a huge leap and go for a different style.
Locale Joo Chiat Final mockup: My Pun-ny thoughts at Joo Chiat
So, for my final product, I decided to go for an illustration style and use more pastel and colors that are found in the Peranakan houses area of Joo Chiat. I also added elements and graphics that represent the Peranakan identity of the place.
For the front and back page, I use the graphics of the architecture from the Peranakan houses. And lay them out in rows. This represents an ‘introduction’ of what to expect in the book. And I wanted readers to get the identity of the place just by looking at the cover page. And to start off, readers are greeted with and Peranakan-styled open window at the front page with the title. “My Pun-ny thoughts at Joo Chiat” is the chosen title due to some puns context inside where the puns were actually related to the past of this Joo Chiat area. Lastly, to end off the Zine there is a closed window showing that its the end of the zine.
For the first and second page of the zine, grids of illustrated windows are shown which are complemented by the text on the second page:
“Win-dow(we dont) know how long this beauty will last”
Not knowing till when the beauty of that area last. I emphasize the visuals of the colorful old-style windows to represent the Peranakan houses.
As for the third and fourth page, the text says:
“People Co-co-nuts(Go nuts) with #ootd her”
The word Coconuts is taken from the past of Joo Chiat which used to be a coconut plantation. And the idea of #ootd came from my research and my own experience going over to the place and seeing so many people taking their pictures there. The visuals then supported the text. In a form of circular arranged Joo Chiat’s Peranakan houses, representing a camera lens in the middle is a half-cut coconut surrounded by its leaves. The beauty of the Peranakan houses is illustrated by the houses illustration.
[#ootd = outfit of the day. Pople will take a photo of their outfit and uploaded it to social media with #ootd]
Finally, the last 2 pages of the zine with a text:
“We must Nut-meg (not make) anymore changes to this place”
From my research, besides being a coconut plantation, there were also nutmegs plantations in Joo Chiat back then. For this pages, I focuses on the visual elements of The Joo Chiat area that we can still see now. The mosaic tiles, old letterbox, signboard and some parts from the Peranakan houses. In this two pages, I wanted to emphasize on how this items and elements in Joo Chiat shouldn’t be removed or change.
For all the pages I tried sustaining the colors and decorative visuals that represents Peranakan therefore, throughout, the zine not only tell a story but also showing the identity of Joo Chiat.
For printing of this ZIne, I have chosen a glossy paper to further push the colors out. Because matte paper may pull down the colors of the zine.
