Which cover is your favourite? It's a question Still Listening has been asking readers since the double-cover format became a signature of the magazine — and Issue 14 offers two compelling answers: Die Spitz on green, Ninajirachi on pink. Both share the same typographic energy, the same hand-assembled collage aesthetic. Neither is a secondary option. Both are the cover.
Still Listening is an independent music zine from director Eliot Odgers. Issue 14 features Die Spitz, Ninajirachi, Silver Gore, Babydoll Deadbeat, The Itch, Tanzana and more. The double-cover format is central to the publication's identity — one set of inside pages, two entirely distinct covers, two communities of readers. Our zine printing service and guide to choosing the right paper for zines are good starting points if you're planning your own music publication.
At A5 in perfect binding, Still Listening sits in the format that suits music publications best — easy to carry, easy to read standing up at a gig. The 200gsm uncoated cover with matt lamination gives each version a warm, tactile quality. A glossy cover would fight with the hand-made energy of the design; matt lamination lets it breathe.
Inside, the 90gsm uncoated text pages are deliberately lightweight — the kind of thing you fold under your arm going into a venue. The 6mm spine at 94pp is what you'd expect of an A5 perfect bound publication with real content.
The double-cover concept works because both covers share the same design vocabulary — the collage aesthetic, the layered typography, the masthead — rather than being designed independently. They look like siblings rather than strangers.
Inside, the typography is the story. A large pink quote overlay on a full-bleed Ninajirachi portrait; a red gothic letter-fill spread; the "SLEAFORD MODS" headline in pink at display scale. The Staff Picks spread — hearts and earphone shapes on pink — is joyful design work.
Eliot emailed on a Friday morning — May bank holiday weekend incoming — and needed the zine the following Friday if possible. Files arrived same afternoon: three PDFs, cover for each version and the inside pages. Invoice raised, paid within the hour. Revised files arrived over the long weekend. The zines left on Monday 11th May for delivery on the 12th.
Double-cover print runs require careful production management: two covers printed separately, matched to the same inside pages, collated and bound into two distinct runs. Eliot didn't need to explain the logistics — he just needed us to handle it. Our zine printing service handles double-cover and multi-version projects as standard.
The double-cover format creates two genuine artefacts from one print run. If you have two artists or two communities that both deserve a cover, split it. The same inside pages can carry two covers — each version becomes a collector's piece.
Matt lamination on uncoated is the right combination for collage-style design. The warm surface suits hand-assembled aesthetics; matt lamination adds durability without the glossy sheen.
90gsm inside pages are right for music zines. Lighter than typical book stock, they give a pliable quality — fold them under your arm at a gig.
Fill every spread with intention. Still Listening doesn't waste a millimetre. Every page is doing something — interview, illustration, typography, photography.
