Patrick Fry is a London-based designer and art director whose publication No.Zine has become a much sought after showcase for the work of young artists, writers, designers and illustrators.
Please tell us a little something about yourself and your new studio and what it is like working in London.
I am a freelance graphic designer / art director working across a broad range of disciplines. I'm currently working on a couple of editorial and identity projects, both independently and collaborating with a few clever people. It's an interesting time to be working in London, the industry is bursting at the seams and every where you go new creative initiatives are popping up.
You are now up to issue 6 of No.Zine - how did the publication come about and what role does it play as part of your practice?
No.Zine was my self medication for too much time spent on squeaky clean corporate work. It was intended to just take up my down time, but ended up stealing many a day away from my commercial work. The great thing about working on a project with no money is the amount of talented people who are up for getting involved just for the fun of it. Inspiring.
There appears to be an increase in the use of the fanzine 'format' amongst designers and illustrators? Why might this be the case?
There definitely is. I guess it's a growing need to create something tangible, permanent and free of client influence in a business increasingly focused on the latest digital trick. Although our industry is often guilty of operating within certain trends, I hope this is one that will last.
Can you please recommend a few zines for us to read and tell us why they might be some of your favourites?
I'm not sure if these can necessarily be classified as zines, but I'm a huge fan of Le Gun and NoBrow. They are both extremely well curated collections of illustrations/art and hold a tone that definitely resonates with me.
