4. Intro 5.Methodology: Primary research Secondary research 6. Identification of the consumer 8. Analysis of the market 10. Case study 12. Rationale 14. Promotional campaign: 16. Before 18. During and after 20. Commercial opportunities: 22. Collaboration 24. Sponsorship 26. Conclusion 29. References 30. Bibliography 34. Appendix
Primary research To initiate our investigation, primary research in the form of an online questionnaire was undertaken to gain opinions and awareness on the zine marketplace and the hipster social tribe. This survey was sent out to a range of mixed gender consumers within the age range 17-40 (see Appendix B) via emails and social networking sites. It was important to establish how aware our consumers are of the hipster culture to identify whether the zine would be plausible. The questionnaire was completed by 20 respondents, 50% of whom work within the creative field, providing us with a sound analysis of our target consumer and their views.
Figure 1.
Secondary research This report will discuss and explore the publishing market and how our own independent publication; ‘hipstr.’ was produced in order to be successful within the niche area of independent zines. It will highlight the need for a thorough understanding of the market place and our consumers in order to create a zine that will provide content to engage and interest our audience. The future of publishing and the effects of increased digital presence within the market will be investigated with a specific focus on one publication that most represents this. Commercial opportunities will be discussed, highlighting a prospective sponsor and collaboration to promote ‘hipstr.’ on a larger scale. From initial research into potential distribution and communication methods it became clear that both online and offline channels should be considered and the success of this will be explored.
Secondary research into the current marketplace, successful zine publications, the connection between online and offline content and the future of publishing was carried out to further enhance knowledge within these particular areas. Potential sponsorship opportunities were investigated in order for us to fully capitalise on a partnership. Cultural and social factors surrounding the hipster tribe including behaviour and personality were also researched and taken into consideration to fully justify the creation of ‘hipstr’. Information was sourced from social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest, internet sites, blogs, books, online reports and journals to gain credible data, facts and general information. Magazines, past and current zines, internet images and brand ephemera were also used as forms of research.
‘Hipstr.’ targets the later end of generation x and the new millennials of both genders. Consumers tend to work within the creative industry allowing them to appreciate the hipster stereotype that is commonly found within these job fields. Although they may be hipsters themselves, or know someone that embodies the hipster label, their easy going outlook on life will allow them to appreciate the humorous references made throughout the zine. The target audience will hold a certain level of knowledge and confidence with new technology and will regularly use social media such as Twitter, Facebook and Linkdin. Other sites and applications such as personal blogs, Pinterest, Instagram and Vimeo will be frequented. Alternative music styles will be popular with these consumers and a strong sense of independent style will be visible, with the majority having a strong appreciation of design, good taste and attention to detail.
“The first problem is that there is an app for each magazine. To subscribe to the New Yorker, Vanity Fair, GQ, The Atlantic and Time, you’ve got to have seven different apps, many of which are bloated” (Mckenzie, online. 2012). Another issue that has frequently arisen, although also considered a major benefit is the accessibility and huge variety of content available to consumers online. In contrast ‘you have to pick your way through the internet. You can work out what you like on the internet but it will take time and you might miss things, whereas we (Elle magazine) curate it all for you’ (Candy, online. 2010). Paper magazines can control this content; edit it to suit their consumers and provide a more personal reading experience. Print publications with high-quality editorials, great art and photography will always include some value and this will not change. However, although print material will always exist, it might become a smaller part of a magazines overall business and more about the contribution of other factors.
Figure 2.
The future of publishing is a frequently discussed topic and has recently become the height of debate with regards to online versus offline. With constant innovation, development and advances in technology the question as to whether the future of publishing lies with digital mediums remains unanswered. Enthusiasm for magazines to build an online platform and accompanying application has increased with the majority of popular publications having a digital edition on tablets, iPads or Kindles. They offer the appeal of infinite publication space that can be instantly attainable and provides on-click links to a large variety of websites and blogs. However, a range of reports, discussions and talks from industry professionals identify that online remains in its infancy.
It’s the physical connection and sentimentally that are frequently connected with print that fuels their stability within the publishing world with a large number of consumers wanting to have something they can touch and feel, something they can collect and consider a possession. Niche magazine titles which focus on specialist subjects have therefore become the result of this and are maintaining their popularity through meticulous editing and content. The amalgamation of both online and offline is where we are currently at where print and digital are as viable as ever: “print is tremendous for branding work just as digital is for direct response and measuring” (Munro-Hall, online.2010). This reflects the existing situation where publishers are aiming to develop their titles as brands in order to expand reader relationships across a range of platforms.
‘So long as brands can offer the same reliable, entertaining and tightlyedited information it doesn’t matter whether ink or e-ink is the channel’ (Rowan.2010)
It has become apparent in the current publishing market that journalists and magazines alike ‘have to adapt and embrace platforms, whether online, broadcast or both, as part ‘convergent teams’’ (PPA, online. 2010) in order to sustain a successful publication. This seems to be the future for magazines in order to fully connect and build relationships with their readers, a strategy being embraced and led by Wired. With an already popular monthly print magazine which draws in an audience of 3.2 million and an increasingly high online presence attracting 44.5 million page views per month, it’s obvious that Wired are adapting to the current changes within technology and society. Wired editor David Rowan states ‘So long as brands can offer the same reliable, entertaining and tightly-edited information it doesn’t matter whether ink or e-ink is the channel’ (2010). The magazine does this exceptionally well through beautiful photography, thought-provoking features and compelling long-form journalism, the content is rich and interesting; something which is considered pivotal in print today. In addition to this, their online platform and app provide consumers with instant access to content where snippets or full versions of articles are available. This allows their audience to connect with the brand immediately and the accessibility of the digital platform enables content to be retrieved quickly from their phones. This combination of online engagement and exposure and offline authority depicts Wired as a worthy publisher of the future.
‘Hipstr.’ is an independent publication that explores and mocks ones inner hipster. It invites the audience to embrace the hipster culture in a light-hearted way through the use of humour and irony. ‘Hipstr.’ highlights certain stereotypical behaviour, style and personality and visually parodies these through images and type. The rising popularity of parodying stereotypes has been prevalent in a variety of mediums including online blogs, books and TV programmes; most notably hit series Portlandia, a comedy sketch which was praised for its humorous reflection of Portland. With Portlandia’s TV viewings growing to a huge 725,000 (Multichannel news, online. 2011), not including online views, and blogs such as ‘hipster hitler’ gaining over 96,897 likes, the market for a hipster based zine is clearly profitable. As many of these outlets are online we felt a collectable zine that can be kept as a possession would be ideal at a time where independent, niche magazines are excelling. We already know that there is a huge reception for this with ‘The Shoreditch Twat’, a successful satirical fanzine which produced 25,000 copies and went on to create an installation for the Barbican as well as gaining commission for a one-off comedy show. We therefore felt that exploring the hipster tribe would be not only timely but also more marketable in terms of its increasing ‘cool’ image with The Guardian stating that ‘if there’s one thing more fashionable than being a hipster, it’s laughing at hipsters’ (2010). Although there are many satirical websites which parody typical stereotypes, ‘hipstr.’ will feature what we consider to be the ‘new age hipster’ to bring something fresh and contemporary to the traditional US hipster pigeonhole. With established blogs and youtube videos featuring similar concepts and values to ‘hipstr.’ a strong online presence around the subject area is already formed. This will enable us to build an effective connection between the printed publication and its online standing as collaborations can be formed and a community can be created. As the hipster community grows, so does the likelihood of the idea and references being understood. The hipster topic is one which is easy to relate to, especially to our target consumer that will frequently come into contact with such personalities.
Figure 3.
Before, during and after.
Figure 4.
We used Twitter as a broadcast mechanism, a way to reach out to our consumers directly to start a conversation that had integrity and provided interest. We started the conversation through our hashtag #hipstercrimes which persuaded consumers to comment on anything stereotypically hipster they or their friends had done. These insights were then uploaded to the ‘hipstr.’ blog where viewers were able to vote on whether they thought the behaviour was true or wannabe hipster, forming a link between the Twitter site and the blog. It also proved an easy way to network and contact people with similar interests, values and ideas that could become potential readers, contributors or consumers that appreciated the zine. In order to successfully promote our zine a range of diverse marketing techniques were considered. We felt it was vital for ‘hipstr.’ to be promoted through social media, particularly Twitter and Facebook in order to interact effectively with our future consumers. As social media plays such a major role within communities today it was important that this was the first touch point with our audience to network the zine and create hype. After initial awareness had been created via both social media sites, we focused more specifically on Twitter as the online platform to promote ‘hipstr.’.
In addition to social media, we felt it was necessary to execute a marketing strategy offline to ensure we engaged with all possible consumers. We decided to take an approach similar to that of guerrilla marketing, a technique we felt complimented ‘hipstr.’s’ values, aesthetics and cool persona. Chalk triangles would be drawn on streets which would direct and lead consumers to a sticker located on nearby walls, postboxes, lampposts and the like.
Two different stickers would be created; one that features the logo and release date and another that displays a question, Twitter username and hashtag. The first sticker initiating excitement and with its limited information will play on people’s curiosity to discover more about what they’ve just seen. The second sticker encourages consumers to get involved by answering the question presented to them and results in a call to action. This will initiate a conversation between us and the audience and will form the basis of the ‘hipstr.’ community. We have also created a fast, flick through video of the completed zine which will be aired a few days before the zine fair across all social media platforms to get consumers talking, to create a sense of anticipation and to further support the promotion of ‘hipstr.’
Throughout the zine fair, tweets will be posted through the Twitter account updating followers on events from the first ‘hipstr.’ sale to pictures of the merchandise. The hipsterize page at the back of the zine will allow our consumers to interact with the zine and encourages customers to get involved and engage with the publication. By inviting readers to complete the page at the event a sense of participation will be created and documentation of these images will be uploaded to Facebook, Twitter and the website, strengthening the link from the offline publication to the online platform. General filming of the event will take place during the zine fair which will enable us to create a video.
Figure 5.
In order to maintain ‘hipstr.’s’ awareness it’s pivotal to continue with the promotion of ‘hipstr.’ to ensure frequent and up to date consumer conversation. The video created at the event will be published after the zine fair on all social media platforms and the ‘hipstr.’ website, keeping our consumers engaged and interested in what we have to say. If we encounter any leftover zines, these would be sold online through Etsy and Alex Zamora’s fanzine Facebook page to reduce money lost in the publication production. However, if the zine is to be a success, further copies will be produced and sold through the ‘hipstr.’ website, Etsy and Ebay. This extended longevity would result in an increase in profit and as a result would enable us to implement new ideas such as; a hipster crimes app, software for iPads and creating an online zine which could be sold through Kindle and Apple. With the use of several promotional objects implemented before, during and after the launch, we have used an integrated marketing communication plan which creates a higher impact and has previously proven to be more effective.
Figure 6.
Appropriate commercial opportunities have been taken into consideration with regards to collaboration and sponsorship; both of which benefit ‘hipstr.’ and enable regular opportunities for consumer growth. A collaboration with established blogger Hannah Hillam provides ‘hipstr.’ with credibility and reliable content. The work she has produced will feature on her blog, which attracts a broad and varied audience of over 3,000 followers. The additional promotion of the zine on Hannah’s blog will help to expand our consumer base as there is potential for her audience to become new readers of ‘hipstr.’.
Figure 7.
Although ironic to hipster’s antimainstream approach we have introduced a sponsorship with camera brand Polaroid. With their recent re-launch in 2010 and after assigning Lady Gaga as their new creative director we noticed their attempt to reposition themselves within a younger, cooler image. With their heritage stemming from instant cameras, popular with hipsters and our East London consumer and with the introduction of the convenient digital camera technology, instant cameras have been left to a niche market – ideal for ‘hipstr.’. Along with their re-launch Polaroid has introduced a new Android powered smart camera which highlights a new sharing function. The camera allows you to take pictures and instantly upload them on to online platforms; Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr. “Polaroid’s heritage is in sharing”, says Scott Hardy, president of Polaroid (2011), which compliments ‘hipstr.’s’ key aim to connect consumers through the hipster parody in order to create a community. Sponsorship with this product allows consumers to upload images of hipster crimes; outfits, food choices, behaviour etc, which they can upload straight from their camera to the hipster online platform. However, in order for this sponsor to benefit Polaroid, only consumers that own a Polaroid camera can upload images to
the online community, although non-users will be able to access the continuous photo feed. From this they can comment and vote on the user generated content via the hipster app accessed via smart phones. An additional feature of the website will be the option of downloading the images in order to create your own meme. These memes will then be vetted and a selection of the best/funniest images will be published each week. It’s vital that Polaroid feel they can put forward something to their customers that no other brand can and offers exclusive submission that acts as a reward for the consumer’s involvement. This online platform will therefore be in partnership with Polaroid where their logo will be frequently featured and mentioned on a number of ‘hipstr.’s’ social media sites. In return for this, Polaroid would provide the funding for the online forum providing them with access to our creative audience. Being associated with a zine which emulates their young, cool image will benefit their newly directed tone of voice. Polaroid state that by using their technology “You’re opening yourself up to a conversation with other creators, collaborators and contributors on how to make the world a more fascinating place” (Polaroid, online.2011), which embodies ‘hipstr.’s’ core values.
Figure 8.
From thorough research into zines, a detailed analysis of the publishing market and consideration of the ‘hipstr.’ consumer, it is evident that there is a niche for ‘hipstr.’ publication to be produced. Having identified a suitable target audience and content that should appeal to a significant number of zinesters as well as knowing the appropriate platforms and arenas to launch and sell the zine, it is considered that our package is a viable proposition.
Hamish Mckenzie (2012) online at pandodaily.com Lorraine Candy (2010) online at ppa.co.uk/the-joy-of-magazines Rob Manro-Hall (2010) online at ppa.co.uk/future-of-publishing PPA (2010) online at ppa.co.uk/future-of-publishing David Rowen (2010) online at ppa.co.uk/magazines-2050 Multichannel news (2011) online at multichannel.com Alex Rayner (2010) online at guardian.co.uk Polaroid (2011) online at Polaroid.co.uk Polaroid (2011) online at Polaroid.co.uk
WORD COUNT / 2097
Figure 1 Hipster cat by Anon (2011) from jonathanmalm.com/hipster-animals Figure 2 Magazines by Anon (2009) from pinterest.com Figure 3 Contents of a hipster bag by Jade Holmes (2012) own image Figure 4 Boy with moustache finger by Anon (2011) from favim.com Figure 5 Boy and mountains by Anon (2012) edited by Jade Holmes Figure 6 Hipster sky by Konstantin Savitskiv (2012) from hipsterphotooftheday. blogspot.co.uk Figure 7 I’m organic illustration by Hannah Hillam (20 from verbalvomit.com Figure 8 Hipster background with triangle by Anon (2012) edited by Jade Holmes Figure 9 Contents of a male hipster bag by Jade Holmes (2012) own image
BIBLIOGRAPHY Books Bartz.A and Ehrlich.B 2010. Stuff Hipsters Hate. Berkeley: Ulysses Press Lanham.R. 2003. The Hipster Handbook. New York: Anchor Books Mcinnes.G. 2010. Street Boners: 1,764 Hipster Fashion Jokes. New York: Grand Central Publishing Articles Batten,N. 2012. ‘PPA conference’ Media Week (9 May ‘ 2012) Batten,N. 2012. ‘Publishing’s leaders set to explore multi-platform future at PPA conference’ Media Week (4 May ‘ 20120) Dredge,S.2010. ‘Magazine apps’ The Guardian (13 April ‘ 2012) Fletcher,D. 2009. ‘Hipsters’ Time Entertainment (29 Jul ’ 2009) Fletcher,M. 2012. ‘Sector Analysis: Magazines’ Media Week (29 Feb ‘ 2012) MCN Staff. 2011. ‘ICF Cheers Ratings’ Multichannel News (27 Jan ‘ 2011) PPA. 2010. ‘The Future of Publishing’ PPA Marketing (2010) Rayner,A. 2010. ‘Why do people hate hipsters?’ The Guardian (14 Oct ‘ 2010) Reed,J. 2010. ‘The Future of Magazines’ Publishing talk (12 March ‘ 2010) Additional sources Internet Aiello, J. 2006. A field guide to the urban hipster, Available at: http://www. randomhouse.com/features/urbanhipster/quiz.html accessed 1 May 2012. Anon. 2012. Dads are the original hipsters, Available at: http:// dadsaretheoriginalhipster.tumblr.com/ accessed 6 May 2012. Campbell, M. 2010. Guide to zine making, Available at: http://www.instructables.com/ id/Guide-To-Zine-Making/ accessed 13 May 2010.
Evancleve,B. 2009. babybabybaby, Available at: http://www.readkissandtell.com/307/ accessed 29 March 2012. Gorman,M. 2012. Polaroid SC1630 Android, Available at: http://www.engadget. com/2012/01/10/polaroid-sc1630-android-hd-hands-on-is-it-a-cameraphone-or-a-ph/ accessed 25 April 2012. Haddow,D. 2008. Hipster: The Dead End of Western Civilization, Available at: http:// www.adbusters.org/magazine/79/hipster.html accessed 23 April 2012. Harris,J. 2012. Your beautiful bruised legs issue 1, Available at: http://zinelibrary.info/ your-beautiful-brusied-legs-issue-1-0 accessed 13 May 2012. Hillam,H. 2011. How to be a hipster, Available at: http://www.verbal-vomit. com/2011/03/how-to-be-hipster-chapter-1.html accessed 23 April 2012. Hipster Brandind. 2012. Homepage, Available at: http://hipsterbranding.tumblr.com/ accessed 23 April 2012. Hipster Hitler. 2012. Pill, Available at: http://hipsterhitler.com/ accessed 23 April 2012. iTunes. 2012. Hipster App, Available at: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/hipster/ id461983020?mt=8 accessed 25 April 2012. Jeff. 2011. Light It Magazine – The Future of Magazine Publishing, Available at: http:// www.revellphotography.com/blog/2011/08/light-it-magazine-the-future-of-magazinepublishing/ accessed 15 May 2012.
Chen,Y. 2012. Are QR codes the future of magazine publishing?, Available at: http:// www.psfk.com/2012/01/magazine-updates-qr-codes.html accessed 12 May 2012.
Kozlowski,M. 2011. Zinio talks future of digital Magazine Publishing and relationship with Apple, Available at: http://goodereader.com/blog/e-book-news/zinio-talks-futureof-digital-magazine-publishing-and-relationship-with-apple/ accessed 10 May 2012.
Creative Times. 2010. Still making a zine, Available at: http://www.creativetimes.co.uk/ articles/still-making-a-zine accessed 29 March 2012.
Lanxon,N. 2012. About Wired.co.uk, Available at: http://www.wired.co.uk/wiredinsider/about-us accessed 16 May 2012.
Design Taxi. 2012. The Hipster Hunt Finding The Definition of a Hipster, Available at: http://designtaxi.com/news/352516/The-Hipster-Hunt-Finding-The-Definition-Of-AHipster/accessed 10 May 2012.
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Digital Buzz. 2009. Is this the future of magazine publishing?, Available at: http://www. digitalbuzzblog.com/is-this-the-future-of-magazine-publishing/ accessed 15 May 2012.
O’Connell,M. 2012. The Future of Publishing: Storytelling Content Monetization, Available at: http://www.cmswire.com/cms/customer-experience/the-future-ofpublishing-storytelling-content-monetization-015404.php accessed 16 May 2012.
Duncombe,S. 2006. Underground: Zines and the politics of alternative culture, Available at: http://www.nyc24.org/2006/issue2/story02/slideshow2.html accessed 13 May 2012.
Parasuco,T. 2007. Urban Dictionary; hipster, Available at: http://www.urbandictionary. com/define.php?term=hipster accessed 10 May 2012.
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Perkins,S. 1992. Approaching the ‘80s zine scene, Available at: http://www.zinebook. com/resource/perkins.html accessed 10 May 2012. Polaroid. 2012. About us, Available at: http://polaroid.co.uk/ accessed 25 April 2012. Polaroid. 2012. The Movement, Available at: http://polaroid.co.uk/themovement accessed 25 April 2012. Rosales,L. 2011. How to have a hipster home, Available at: http://agbeat.com/design/ how-to-have-a-hipster-home-10-illustrated-tips/ accessed 25 April 2012. Rowen,D. 2012. About Wired magazine, Available at: http://www.wired.co.uk/wiredinsider/about-us accessed 16 May 2012. Smith,T. 2012. Where’s Waldo? The First Hipster, Available at: http:// haveyoubeendrinking.wordpress.com/2012/02/02/wheres-waldo-the-first-hipster/ accessed 24 April 2012. Wired. 2012. Press: Fact Sheet, Available at: http://www.wired.com/about/press_ factsheet/ accessed 16 May 2012. Zobl,E. 2004. Zines, Available at: http://www.grrrlzines.net/overview.htm accessed 13 May 2012. Video Happy Endings: How to be a hipster, 2011. Dir. Russo, A&J. Portlandia: Dream of the 90s, 2011. Dir. Krisel,J. Portlandia: Did you read it?, 2011. Dir. Krisel,J.
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Press Release Blank Questionnaire Completed Questionnaire Correspondence with contributors
Figure 9.
Appendix A
Press Release Hipstr. Zine Nottingham Embargoed for 26th May 2012
Hipsters in hiding across the nation are now able to reveal their inner hipster using Hipstergraph. A collaborative project between new zine ‘hipstr.’ and Polaroid. • •
To coincide with the launch of the new Android powered Polaroid camera. An online platform that will only feature user-generated content.
Hipstergraph is an online platform that will allow people with the new Android powered Polaroid camera to upload pictures of themselves participating in hipster activities. Users of the platform will be able to comment, vote and create memes that they can then upload to other social networking sites. Only the camera users will be able to upload to Hipstergraph, but an app will be available to Smartphone users so that they can view the online feed of photographs and make their own comments and cast votes on how hipster the activities are. This collaboration comes into play as Polaroid release their latest product into the UK market. Independent zine hipster is all about the hipster sub-culture and Polaroid and their products are seen to be popularly used by them. The idea of users uploading pictures of themselves to the site is to engage the readers of the zine and Polaroid consumers and encourage them to realise that there is an element of hipster in all of us. Jade Holmes, Co-Editor of hipstr., said: “The launch of this platform is an exciting endeavour for both us and Polaroid, we are really looking forward to seeing what the users come up with.” Hipstergraph is set to launch at the start of the summer as the new issue of the zine is released and the camera becomes available on the British high street. The app will be downloadable for both Android and iPhone users. Ends
Notes to editors: • Hipstr. is a new, independent publication that explores and pokes fun at ones inner hipster, inviting readers to embrace their hipster within and join us. • Hipstr. zine will be available to purchase from 26 May 2012 from the Nottingham Zine Fair or through the tumblr page. • Follow @hipstrzine on Twitter at www.twitter.com/hipstrzine; • Find Hipstr. on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Hipstr For further information please contact: Anna Heaton, Jade Holmes or Alice Hammerton at hipstrzine@hotmail.co.uk or alternatively on 07558423947
Appendix B
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/3JB3BBG
Appendix C
Appendix D On Wed, May 9, 2012 at 9:22 AM, Anna Heaton Alice Hammerton Jade Holmes <hipstrzine@hotmail.co.uk> wrote: Hi Hannah, Thanks for getting back to us, we’re so excited! One feature we were thinking of doing was going to be something along the lines of “How to get a hipster”, here’s a rough draft of the points we want to cover:
On Mon, Apr 30, 2012 at 10:25 AM, Anna Heaton Alice Hammerton Jade Holmes <hipstrzine@hotmail.co.uk> wrote: Hey Hannah, We are three students studying at Nottingham Trent University in England. For our latest University project we are creating a zine that is based around the concept of Hipsters and has a very similar tone of voice to your blog ‘How to be a Hipster’. We were wondering if you would be at all interested in doing a couple of illustrations for us in contribution to the zine where your work would of course be credited as well as your blog. Unfortunately, as this is a student project and therefore a non-profit endeavour we would be unable to pay you for this contribution. We are big fans of your blog and hope that you will consider working with us. Kind regards, Anna, Alice & Jade hipstr. zine Anna, Alice, and Jade, I’d love to! I totally understand the non-profit of it, and I’d be happy to participate. What are the details (how many illustrations, the sort of content, and the deadline)? I’m flattered you contacted me. Thank you, Hannah Hillam
How to get a hipster Be where the hipsters roam. Find a quiet space in a cafe, order a mocha latte and surf your Mac/ipad for hours on end. Think independent art galleries, movie houses and gigs. Do not forget your glasses – this is a vital accessory that WILL get you noticed. If you see a bearded beauty that takes your fancy don’t forget to openly display your love on anything indie, independent art, culturally-exposing literature, philosophy and superior cultural awareness. An intelligent sounding book in hand is always helpful. Wear the right uniform. Where possible, avoid buying anything labelled, especially from the stores run by the label itself (so not niche consumerism). Instead, look for independent retailers because supporting obscure and little known retailers is #totesindie. If in doubt always opt for the classic ‘skinny jean’ – the tighter the better. Alternatively, high waisted pants, leggings/ jeggings are acceptable. Don’t stress about how your hair looks, for once the messy look is so totally right. Rock the ‘just rolled out of bed look’ for instant attraction. Make sure to give off the vibe that you’re too cool and elite for a lot of things. Show an interest in eco, natural disasters and charities. A line that might come in handy; “I donated to Haiti…. before the disaster”. Hone your humour. A hipster is generally known for their sense of irony and sarcasm so if you want to give the impression that you’re so totally made for each other take this on board. Grow your own food and learn to cook. Hipsters are massive ‘foodies’ and love making gourmet meals to make sure you collect a few good cookbooks. Try to cut out meat if possible – most of these hipster types are either veggies or vegans. We were thinking maybe you might be able to come up with 4 or 5 illustrations for us to illustrate a few of these points, whichever ones you think would translate best visually? Maybe the first, third and last ones? And then whichever ones you think :) (we very much trust your artistic vision!) But obviously if you feel you would like some more direction we are more than happy to give you some more input. We really enjoyed the little annotations and speech bubbles you included in your drawings as well so if you’d like to include any of those that would be great! In terms of a deadline, we’ve unfortunately got quite a tight turn around, so if you would be able to get them to us by next wednesday 16th that would be amazing. We’re so pleased to be working with you and are really looking forward to seeing what you come up with. Kind regards, Alice, Anna and Jade
Date: Thu, 10 May 2012 20:08:05 -0600 Subject: Re: Contribution Enquiry From: hannahhillam@gmail.com To: hipstrzine@hotmail.co.uk Hey! That all sounds great! I’ll probably do around 4-5 illustrations in the same style as my blog post, and I will get them to you by the 14th instead, since I am getting married on the 17th, and moving to New York City on the 19th. :D Been a bit crazy around here, but I’m so excited to do these drawings for you! What format shall I send them in? I usually send them in a few, such as TIFF, JPG, and PNG for whatever works best when you print it. But if you have a preference, let me know. Thanks! Hannah
On 11 May 2012, at 04:59 AM, Anna Heaton Alice Hammerton Jade Holmes <hipstrzine@hotmail.co.uk> wrote: Oh wow, congratulations!! Thank you for agreeing to help us out when you have so much on. The 14th would be great if that’s okay with you and JPG is probably the easiest format for us to work with. Cant wait to see what you have come up with - we’re excited to see and add your illustrations to our zine. Good Luck with the final wedding preparations. Best wishes, Alice, Anna and Jade
Hey Guys! I’ve been doing what I can in the last week, but I’m still not done. I know it’s already the 16th over there. I’m so sorry! I’ll get you these ASAP.
www.facebook.com/Hipstr hipstrzine.tumblr.com @hipstrzine