My thesis project is a zine alongside some collateral in a box set. This is a passion project of mine as it involves bringing together design with my love of professional wrestling, specifically focusing on Deathmatch wrestling.
For those unfamiliar, Deathmatches are a subset of wrestling that focuses specifically on extremity and hardcore violence, alongside the use of foreign objects. I wanted this to be a guide to help familiarize the reader with the basics of the sport, its origins, the weapons, the novelty matches, and the wrestlers who helped it gain its cult status.
I wanted to achieve a gritty and rough feel with these spreads. I took inspiration from flyers for local wrestling shows as well as band posters. This zine would ideally be able to be printed even on low-quality paper to make it more easily distributed.
These stickers were illustrated by yours truly to show off cutesy caricatures of the hall-of-famers featured in this project.
The heavy metal frames used throughout the zine felt perfect to put on some pinback buttons!
I had an idea for a box filled with collateral items to come with the zine. While items such as buttons and stickers are always classic, it felt appropriate to add some items that might not be safe or smart to give out to customers but fit the violent vibe I wanted to achieve. Thumb tacks, blades, staples, and other foreign objects felt like they somehow would still be right at home alongside the tamer items.