Feedback on my zine layout made me ditch the centerfold

I used to always put my best art as a centerfold spread until a reader at the Portland Zine Symposium told me it just gets lost in the staple. They said the middle pages never lay flat and people miss the details. Now I put the big piece on the back cover instead where it actually gets seen. Anyone else get layout advice from a stranger that totally changed your zine?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_tara27d ago

The first time I heard that advice I almost cried because I had spent like 3 hours fussing over a super detailed centerfold that nobody would ever see fully (thanks random stranger for the reality check). Now I just use the centerfold for a dumb joke or a bonus panel that doesn't need to be legible, like a tiny drawing of my cat doing something stupid. Honestly, back covers are prime real estate, way better than getting your work smooshed in the spine where it looks like a funhouse mirror disaster. But hey, at least you got the wisdom before you printed 500 copies of a zine where your best work was literally invisible, right?

brian30327d ago

Oh man, the centerfold struggle is real lol. I did a small run of comics once and put this huge two page spread right in the middle. Looked amazing in my head but in reality half of it got eaten by the staple. Now I just stick a dumb doodle there too, like my dog trying to eat a bee. Back covers are way better for sure, people actually see those. Live and learn I guess!