Zine Design: Bad Time Story

Bad Time Story is a 60-page zine based on real-life stories and folklore about sleep paralysis. The purpose of this zine is to share people’s terrifying experiences while educating people what triggers sleep paralysis and what to do when it happens. To create a compelling way to present sleep paralysis, original hand-drawn illustrations and font were used throughout the publication. Sleep paralysis is a condition that happens when one’s asleep. People experiencing it may not be able to move or speak for a few seconds up to a few minutes. Some people may also have a sense of being pressured or choked, or even hallucinating. Though experiencing sleep paralysis can be very scary, it is not a life-threatening condition. This zine illustrates the fearfulness and intensity of the experience of those who face this condition. The illustration of this zine is slightly creepy and offbeat style that captures people’s encounters with sleep paralysis. The title ‘Bad Time Story’ is a play on words by replacing the word “bed” with “bad” to contribute to the dark humour of the zine.