Quaranzine! an isolated time capsule
Phoebe Lo
“If I could have an instruction manual on how to conduct conversations in the first awkward empty minutes of joining a new zoom call, I would be forever grateful.”
—Paraphrased from a zoom call with a friend
In modern times, especially in this era of self-isolation, how do we as humans engage in communication effectively through virtual means? While spending my senior year taking my classes via zoom, quarantine and self-isolation—in an age where we are more connected than ever before, yet feeling lonelier than ever—made me realize that modern loneliness is a pandemic in itself. Quaranzine! is a comprehensive brand identity that aims to explore the idea of taking this strange “new normal” and the feelings that come with it by presenting it in a tangible form. How can the bittersweet memories of 2020–2021 and the feelings that come with it become not only physical objects, but also a witty sense of humour that feels like an inside joke that the entire world is in on? In the midst of a pandemic, what we need most is another reason to smile. Quaranzine! includes multiple elements, such as infographic postcards, “stay at home” concert posters, word search wine bottles, an enneagram flowchart quiz, strangely scented candles, bingo sheets, and other branded merchandise that comes together as a satirical time capsule.