Collaboration
Created as the fifth edition of the Ottawa Design Club zine series, Zine 0005: Collaboration asked a simple question: What happens when collaboration isn't the theme, but the requirement?
Rather than inviting individual submissions inspired by collaboration, every featured work had to be created by at least two people. The brief encouraged artists to reach beyond their usual practice, pairing designers with photographers, illustrators with writers, musicians with visual artists, and strangers with future collaborators. The publication became less about documenting creative partnerships and more about creating the conditions for them to happen.
Editorial Design
Until this edition, every contributor was given the same editorial treatment. A single spread. The same grid. The same rhythm. Collaboration challenged that approach.
Some projects needed room to breathe. Others relied on sequencing, conversation or contrast between collaborators. Instead of forcing every story into the same structure, the editorial system became more responsive, introducing gatefolds, varied layouts and a pacing that reflected the work itself. Ironically, the edition about collaboration was also the first time we allowed ourselves to break our own design rules.
Collaboration Sold Out →
Print Design
The holographic cover wasn't chosen simply because it looked beautiful. Viewed head-on, it appears as a single silver surface. As the light shifts, it reveals an ever-changing spectrum of colour. It became a physical metaphor for collaboration. Individual perspectives combining to create something richer than any one voice alone. The material transformed depending on where the viewer stood, much like creative work changes when different people bring their own experiences into the process.
Community
The launch extended the idea of collaboration beyond the printed page. Rather than a traditional presentation, the event featured a panel discussion with the guest curators and one of the featured collaborators, creating space to discuss creative partnerships, process and the stories behind the work.
The project continued to have an impact after publication. Contributors shared that collaborations formed for the zine led to new friendships, creative partnerships and professional opportunities, reinforcing the publication's original goal of bringing people together through the creative process.
