#our process

Hello everyone! For anyone out there looking to run their own zine, I’d like to share a bit about our process throughout the last few months :) Let’s go!

I’ll give a little background about the timeline for the project, then I’ll give some descriptions about the vendors we used and our experience with them. 

So we (@limedumplr​ and @redsketches) started the zine. I ( @limedumplr ) originally thought I’d handle everything myself but Red volunteered to help me and I’m so glad she did - It’s a lot to organize for just one person. We began around September of last year and wrapped artist’s final drawings in January. One of our artists asked me why the timeline was so long and it was honestly because I was attending a wedding in the middle of that which I was a large part of (so I’d have to split my time to focus on that). Orders opened January and closed February, we wanted to send things out in March but we ended up sending things in April because we needed to re-print the zine. 

When we recruited for the zine, we only used Twitter and Tumblr. I definitely noticed a decrease in Tumblr traffic after the great purge :p Next time, I’d probably use Tumblr as a backup instead of a ‘base’ and also use Instagram and Discord which is where most fandom seems to be migrating. 

As for our venders:

For the acrylic charms we used Acorn Press

Link: https://acorn.press/

Our experience:  We loved the quality, and the price. They don’t include any sort of clasp so be aware you only get the acrylic. It was easy enough to buy a set of cell phone straps on Amazon though. Customer service was very friendly and they held our shipment when Red and I were both on vacation for a week. I’d definitely use them again for our next project. 

For the magnets and stickers we used StickerMule

Link: https://www.stickermule.com/

Our experience:  Their customer service was excellent. I talked to a few of their team members since I wasn’t happy with the original proofs they sent. All of them were very accommodating and revised my proofs multiple times to give me something I liked. Similar to Acorn press, they took care of the shipment when I asked them to hold it while I was on vacation. The products also came out great!

For the prints we used MOO

Link: https://www.moo.com/

Our experience: We’ve used them plenty of times before and I’ve come to expect great quality and price. I’m sure others have used them since MOO is pretty popular. I especially loved that we could customize the matte back sides of our prints. 

For the enamel Pin and Lanyard, we used Erichgift

Link: http://www.erichgift.com/

Our experience: They were very responsive and great to work with. The only caveat is that their turn around is pretty long so you have to be willing to wait about a month after you begin talking with them to when they finally ship out your products. They are China-based so it may be hard to work with the time difference if you are US-based like we are. However, the quality of the products were great and I have NEVER seen prices as low theirs. They are also very nice and sincere. I’ll most likely be using them again but next time I’ll account for how long I’ll have to wait for the products :P

For the laser cut magnets, Red used her own laser cutter to make those for us :D

FINALLY, for the Zines, we used Smartpress

Link: https://smartpress.com/

Our experience: Their customer service was a little tense, I wouldn’t say it was bad, just not friendly. However, They’re prices are the BEST I’ve seen and they were very good about re-printing our zines after we pointed out the error in the first set. They also have a nice proofing process.

To sell the zines, we used BigCartel and I liked it a lot compared to other platforms we’ve sold on (Big shout out to one of our artists, @JUSTN4Z on twitter, who recommended it to us). Etsy makes you pay-per-post and doesn't have as much of a fandom culture around it. You also don’t have as much freedom to customize your shop. The last time we made a zine, we used Tictail and I HATED it. The user interface appeared friendly but it really was not :/ It was also difficult to set up shipping. 

Overall, this was a low-scale zine compared to some of the others I’ve seen. But I think the product came out fantastic and I loved being a part of something that brought so many people together. 

Criteria | Education, Engagement, and Expression (Amazon E3)

Problem | With Amazon evolving and e-commerce continuing to grow, there is still a lack of education around Recycling. We began to ask ourselves, “How do we adapt to this revolution?” To initiate the customer’s process, there will be an option that opts them in during Checkout.

1. Educate: Throughout their user experience, they will learn the process it takes that brought their package to them, how the planet is affected by this process, or how to continue to reduce their carbon footprint.

2. Engage: From the time they opt-in at Checkout, they begin accumulating points that are automatically credited to their Amazon account. The user receives push notifications to track their actions (repurposing cardboard boxes or recycling the boxes at an Amazon facility). From the time their package is delivered, they will be prompted with a notification that educates them with impactful Fun Facts to capture their attention.

3. Express: This will bring the social aspect into the experience where users can share their creations with their DIY furniture projects. Through sharing and posting on Instagram contests, they have the opportunity to be recognized by Amazon and be rewarded while, also, spreading awareness.

How do the pragmatic and logistical concerns around implementation affect the selection of our solution? Will Amazon partner with us? Afterall, our solution exists solely on Amazon platform.

Heya! We’ve answered this in bits and pieces here and there, but never all in one place, so I (Lily) will try to give a brief summary of my method and have Hope add hers on too

I find the aesthetic pictures on places like pinterest and google! usually for example, if I’m trying to find green pictures related to science, I’ll just search “green science” or “green science aesthetic” on pinterest, or “green science aesthetic” or “green science tumblr” on google images

I source them using the sources pinterest/google gives me, or I use the reverse image search. This is generally the most tedious and frustrating part because many pictures have already been posted and reposted a thousand times, so it’s nearly impossible to find the original post, but I sure as hell try

I put them all together in befunky’s collage program because it’s free and easy to use!

(Hope) Ditto on finding and sourcing images! I will also use the color sort feature on Google Images, which is a great time-saver.

I mostly use CollageFactory free to put mine together, just because it’s pretty no-frills and quick if I don’t need to do anything too fancy. It allows me to customize the number of rows and columns, but not placement of boxes or the ratio of height to width.

I will occasionally use BeFunky if I need to adjust the exact placement of my boxes, or if I want dimensions I can’t do in CollageFactory.

I’m very picky about my color schemes, and most of the photos I find need some adjustment to work with the board (e.g., I don’t like to mix yellow-based/warm whites with blue-based/cool whites) so I have a couple of free photo editors I use.

Google Photos is my go-to, because it’s super quick and easy.

Don’t worry, we really love questions!

There are two ways of answering this question about Meatwall– in-world and out-of-world.  Fair warning: both are kind of gross. 

In-world: While Meatwall may not have mouths attached to functional vocal chords, they have gained great facility with replicating human speech through the manipulation and expulsion of gasses through and between folds of flesh–enough so that they have mastered several languages.  They have also occasionally been known to grow appendages and rudimentary facial characteristics to better interact with the occupants of the Montgomery Moro Memorial Museum and Historical House.     

Out-of-World: Lead Sound Designer Ryan Schile was really excited by this question, and jumped at the chance to put together this mini-episode on how he creates the sound effects and voices for Meatwall.  You can download it through this link.