Double Take
Double Take was a zine made for my Typography I final, and the first zine I have ever made. It is a collection of things you overhear that make you stop what you’re doing and do a double take, as I had been hearing a lot of those sorts of things over the last week, and continued to hear them as I wrote the zine.
Some of the imagery was taken from found items, such as the bottom of an Apple Magic Mouse on page 6, and the small notebook on pages 9 and 10. Many of the others were manipulated somehow, and I fell in love with Lindenwood University’s high-quality scanners, so I used those as much as I could. I learned a lot about page layout, what works, and what doesn’t. The copy on pages 7 and 8 are not my best work, but I’m pretty proud of the introduction pages.
The cover was adorned with handwritten variations of “WITH SPECIAL ISSUE”, and the last page before the rear cover contained handwritten citations for my images, as well as a small illustration and serial number to make each copy unique.
SPECIAL ISSUE
As I was looking for a quote to use for my final spread on or around December 6, 2023, Lindenwood University decided to cut many of its NCAA Division I sports teams, affecting 284 student athletes. This announcement caused a wave of anger throughout the student body, and came at a total surprise to everyone. The announcement itself made everyone do a double take, as the announcement given in the Lindenwood Theater lasted no longer than three minutes. The president wasn’t even present during the announcement, which made the entire situation seem callous.
“SPECIAL ISSUE” was a letter size sheet of paper folded in half and included in every physical copy of Double Take, finished just hours after the announcement. It reflected my frustration on that day, with the sports cuts and rising tuition making me feel like the student body was being exploited. It focused on showing the dissonance between the luxury contained in the president’s mansion (which had been the target of vandalism that night) and the University’s apparent need for money in an absurd way. I thought it fit well within the context of my zine, and within the broader history of zines as a medium for protest.
