Are 'zines making a comeback?
The return of those underground graphic marvels ...
Gary Bloomer | SHAKING THE TREE # 316
In my last edition, I asked if I should shake things up and change direction.
I questioned whether my unfiltered takes on content creation were hitting the mark, or if I was just screaming into the digital void.
Well, the feedback was a wake-up call. It reminded me of why I started this newsletter: to challenge the status quo, rattle your understanding of how things are “supposed to be,” and look at the mechanics of attention a little differently.
So, instead of pivoting to something dull and expected, let’s lean right into the friction. Today, we’re looking at an old-school medium that is quietly mounting a rebellion against our hyper-automated, algorithmic existence.
Let’s talk about Mail Art zines. Are they really coming back?
We are drowning in a sea of frictionless content. AI-generated text blocks, automated social media feeds, and algorithmic engagement loops have turned the digital landscape into a smooth, predictable conveyor belt. It’s efficient, sure. But it’s also completely devoid of soul.
When every piece of content can be optimized, distributed, and forgotten in a millisecond, the saddest phrase in marketing becomes true: “We’ve always done it this way.” We have optimized ourselves into obscurity.
Enter Mail Art and the humble zine.
For the uninitiated, Mail Art (or “postal art”) started as an avant-garde movement in the mid-20th century. Artists used the international postal service to exchange handmade postcards, collages, and altered objects. It bypassed galleries, ignored curators, and was explicitly anti-commercial. Combined with the punk-rock, photocopied ethos of the independent zine, it represents the ultimate antithesis of a LinkedIn carousel.
And yes, it is absolutely staging a comeback. Not because it’s efficient, but precisely because it isn’t.
Why Mail Art Zines Matter Right Now
As an award-winning graphic designer who cut his teeth long before the internet became a series of corporate monopolies, I look at the aesthetic revival of the zine with a mix of nostalgia and immense professional respect. This isn’t just a hipster trend; it’s a masterclass in modern brand differentiation.
Three specific things make Mail Art zines a potent tool for creators looking to stand out right now:
1. Visual Integrity and Tactical Weight
A zine demands your hands. It utilizes textured paper stocks, deliberate imperfections, mismatched typography, and archival collage layouts that force a reader to slow down. You can’t skim a zine while scrolling past three other notifications. The physical weight translates to intellectual weight.
2. High Signal-to-Noise Ratio
On Substack or Medium, you are competing with thousands of voices for a fraction of a second of screen time. In a physical mailbox, a hand-addressed envelope containing a beautifully weird, limited-run zine isn’t noise—it’s an event. It converts a passive “consumer” into an active “custodian” of your work.
3. The Power of Intentional Curation
The digital world tells us to publish daily, chase the algorithm, and use automated workflows. Mail Art zines throw that out the window. They rely on the beauty of curation—forcing the creator to make hard choices about layout, spacing, and rhythm because paper and postage cost real money.
Shaking Up the Marketing Mix
Am I suggesting you abandon your digital funnels, stop using AI tools as brainstorming partners, and buy a warehouse full of stamps? Of course not.
That would be commercial suicide.
If your marketing strategy relies entirely on automated engagement, your brand is effectively invisible. True inspiration is elastic. It stretches across mediums. The most innovative creators this year won’t be the ones writing the most efficient prompts; they’ll be the ones blending high-tech scale with low-tech intimacy.
Think about a high-value campaign where your top 100 prospects don’t get another generic email sequence, but instead receive a limited-edition, vintage-inspired mini-zine that spells out your philosophy. It feels like a gift. It looks like art. It acts like a trojan horse for your ideas.
If you want to stand out, you have to be willing to reframe and retool what you think you know. Stop chasing frictionless engagement and start creating something memorable, noteworthy, and real.
Go drop something weird in the mail. Or leave something at your local coffee shop or independent bookstore (ask for permission first), and see what happens.
What do you think? Are you ready to trade a few pixels for paper, or is the pull of the digital feed too strong? Let me know in the comments.
As always, thanks for reading.
—Gary
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P.S. If you found this useful, share it with another creator who needs an ego check (in a nice way). Want more unfiltered takes on content creation? Join my newsletter. No fluff, just the stuff that works.
Next time on Shaking the Tree: Should you be making more art?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Originally from the U.K., Gary Bloomer is a writer, branding advocate, marketing specialist, and an award-winning graphic designer.
His design work has been included in Creative Review (one of the UK’s largest design magazines). Since 2009, he has answered over 5,000 marketing and business questions in the Know-How Exchange of MarketingProfs.com, placing him among the top 3% of contributors. He lives in Wilmington, Delaware, USA.