The name as manifesto: how to title a fanzine
A zine is a declaration of editorial independence, and the name acts as the manifesto's cover. Unlike a commercial magazine where the title must sound professional, a zine can (and should) be weird, personal, cryptic or self-ironic. Cometbus, Doris, Maximumrocknroll, Cherry Bomb: all names that couldn't exist on a corporate newsstand.
The first test is the 'scotch tape factor'. If the name looks good handwritten with a marker on a photocopy, you're on track. If it only works in polished Adobe typography, it probably belongs to another format. The zine lives in xerox, staples and cardstock; the title must survive that degraded aesthetic.
Consider thematic rotation. If your zine is a perzine, the name can be intimate and mutate issue to issue; Doris and Burn Collector are examples. If it's a thematic zine (vegan cooking, bikes, mental health), the name can be more literal but with a twist. And if it's a collective zine, leave the name open enough that different voices fit inside.
Typography, format and DIY spirit
The classic zine is born from cut-and-paste: scissors, photocopier, old magazine clippings, typewriter. The name can exploit that aesthetic: letters of different sizes from different fonts, crossed-out words, intentional smudges, marginal doodles. Cometbus uses recognizable manuscript calligraphy; Punk Planet used loud retro typography.
Physical dimensions affect the choice. A mini-zine of 8 A6 pages calls for a short name that fills the cover; an A5 zine of 32 pages tolerates a long phrase or subtitle. Try printing the name at real size before committing. If you plan mail distribution, consider the name will be read on a postal label: extreme lengths generate shipping errors.
The logo doesn't need to be immutable. Unlike a commercial brand, a zine can mutate the title typography each issue while keeping the name. This reinforces each edition as a unique object. Maintain minimal coherence (palette, feel) but don't fear varying form. Nineties Riot Grrrl rotated styles issue to issue.
Common mistakes when naming a zine
First, sounding like a blog. Names like 'My Thoughts' or 'Marta's Reflections' evaporate alongside millions of blogs. The zine needs texture, tension, opacity. Think of it as the title of an underground band's song: it should open questions, not answer them. Cometbus clarifies nothing; Doris is just a loaded proper name.
Second, being too cryptic. If nobody understands or remembers your name after reading it, you lose word-of-mouth. Find balance between intrigue and memorability. Three words or less is usually optimal. If you need to explain what it means every time, it's failing.
Third, copying a famous zine. Calling yourself 'Cometbus 2.0' or 'New Doris' is jokey but ties you forever to someone else's shadow. Be influenced by attitude and find your voice. Fourth: check Etsy, Issuu, distros like Microcosm or Pioneers Press to see if the name is taken in zine-land. The community is small and respects existing names. Fifth: avoid names with unwanted associations (a feminist zine called 'Slut Wave' had SEO and literal-reading problems).
How the name connects to distribution
If you distribute via distros (Microcosm, Pioneers Press, Brown Recluse), your name competes on a fair table with a hundred other zines. Titles that stand out have one of three qualities: phonetic rarity (sounds different), visual brevity (reads from afar), or clear tone (you know what kind of zine it is). 'Diary of a Misfit' doesn't stand out; 'Cometbus' does, because it doesn't resemble anything.
For mail or trade distribution, the name operates in postal addresses and email subject lines. Names with special characters, weird punctuation or extreme length generate friction. If your zine is called 'why?/' your international trade can break on customs forms. Keep the name typeable.
On social networks, get the @ available. Before committing to a name, check Instagram, Bluesky and Twitter (where the zine community remains active). The ideal handle is exactly the zine's name; if it's taken, consider variants (zine_, the_, _press) but ideally change the name. Distribution today depends as much on IG as on the kiosk.