I made a zine!

You can't get it online—I am only handing them out IRL.

Last year, I really wanted to make a zine to hand out at NYCxDesign but was too slammed, so this year, I decided I'd better stop talking about it and actually do it! I only had a few weeks to write, assemble, design, and print but somehow got it done in the nick of time. Lucky I rediscovered my 20-year old muscle memory for InDesign, and, combined with my very limited graphic design skills, was able to crank out a charming lil pub.

The zine is a “design edition” featuring opinions, perspectives, and contributions from seasoned designers, students, and industry friends weighing in on AI and the digital.

I thought a lot about WHY I have been wanting to make a zine, and so below is the introduction that is printed on the first page, under a Jenny Holzer quote that reads “Protect me from what I want'“:

This zine focuses on AI, algorithms, and the digital spaces we inhabit. It’s a check-in. A way to pause and reflect on the tools we’re using and how we’re using them.

AI isn’t going anywhere. But it’s also not magic. It’s something we can shape, question, and use in our work on our own terms.

There’s a lot of fear, as there has always been when society faces the uncertainty of new technological tools. But creativity has never been about following someone else’s rules. We get to decide how much space and time these tools take up. There’s a time to log on, and a time to log off. A time to explore the new, and a time to trust what’s already in us.

What matters most hasn’t changed: curiosity, collaboration, and a point of view. This is just a reminder that we’re allowed to use technology without forgetting what we’ve always had.

I asked some friends in the design community to contribute short writings, drawings, images, and thoughts about AI, algorithms, and our increasingly digital lives. What I got was a mix of perspectives—some hopeful, some skeptical, all thoughtful. This is only a tiny snapshot of where we’re at, and where we might go. It’s also the tip of the iceberg in terms of stories I want to tell and questions I want to ask. Let’s call this zine a prototype, a beta release.

Why a zine?

Everything is digital now, so printing something allows me to hand it to
individuals in person, say hello, and enjoy an interaction that is more
meaningful than any Instagram post, and more human than any newsletter.

You can't get a copy of this zine online, nor will any of the content ever live online in the same way it appears in print. I hope our paths converge and I can give you a copy.

Extra special thanks to contributors Josh Rubin, Nicholas Baker, Nik Bentel, Julia Haney Montanez, Ti Chang, Eric Trine, Josh Owen, Gerardo Herrera, and to the RISD and Art Center students who shared their thoughts: Tobi Ashiru, Aiden Spicer, Yitong Jiang, Amanda H Mei, Jaydon Thompson, Noah Baumgaertel, Valentina Ada Scottini, and Jakub Zerzulka.