I don’t think we know of anyone that makes zines as prolifically as graphic designer Núria Balinha. She practically makes one a week – and they’re all incredible. They remind us of when we used to make stuff on Microsoft Word or Paint as a kid, and there is a sense of freedom in their pages that you don’t really come across in straight forward editorial design that has its top button done up. What’s making the designers spreads so magic is her unique and imaginative mix of found imagery, collage, drawing and typography – which she loves distorting “almost to a fault”, she says.
These “fragmented narratives”, as she calls them, explore everything from compilations of unattractive objects, to the smell of pee in Barcelona or the World Cup. The designer has even made one in response to Yoko Ono’s Tunafish Sandwich Piece. She says, “although some people might describe them as stupid or nonsense, I love that they allow for interpretation and let you enjoy them in your own way.” In the creation of these visual works Nuria strives for some kind of “audience reaction”. If her orchestra of images and words resonate, then great – if not she had a blast laying out each and every page.
It was no surprise to hear that Núria takes a lot of influence from outside the design world – she wouldn’t be nearly as good at ‘rule breaking’ otherwise. She attributes her inspiration to painters such as John Baldessari for the sense of humour in her work, and Mark Rothko and Paul Gauguin for their bold use of colour. For a more “up to date reference” in her creative process, she says, “I would quote Charli xcx: ‘I just don’t really like to think too much. For me, the second I start thinking about the decisions I’m making is when it begins to feel a bit contrived, and the songs just become not special.’” For Nuria, making without inhibitions and working quickly “with the emotions of the moment”, is the only way to make work that doesn’t feel “forced or silly”, she says.
While she designs with abandon, each zine’s content is in fact heavily considered before she dives in on Indesign. A lot of these expertly crafted layouts are offering more political takes on feminism, pop culture, social inequality and personal issues or experiences in the immediacy of the format. “I am especially interested in questioning how women are treated in art and design and why men still receive more recognition and attention, and are not questioned half as much,” the designer ends. “But that’s a problem for another day!”