Designing from Within

Zines are alternative media embedded within urban subculture communities in Bandung, Indonesia. Zines function not only as platforms for personal expression but also as design practices shaped by social relations, collective values, and media technology. This study uses Activity Theory as an analytical lens to examine how zine design is mediated by sociocultural systems within subculture networks. Adopting a qualitative case study approach, the research investigates four subculture zines such as Form and Pressure, Saturasi, Break from Cinema, and Golosor Times through in-depth interviews and participant observation. The findings demonstrate that zine-making is a socially situated design activity mediated by interactions among subjects, tools, objectives, rules, communities, and divisions of labor. While each case presents a distinct configuration of these elements, all emphasize participatory and context-sensitive design approaches. This study argues that zine-making should be understood as a form of activity system grounded in community practices as a process of knowledge production, identity articulation, and technological dynamics. Furthermore, this study proposes Activity Theory as a robust methodological framework for analyzing community-based design, offering insights for expanding design paradigms toward more democratic, inclusive, and culturally embedded practices

Activity Theory · Citizen journalism · Grounded theory · Participant observation · Qualitative research · Situated · Sociocultural evolution · Artistic and Creative Research · Crafts, Textile, and Design · Innovative Human-Technology Interaction