Love Me Do is a brilliant ode to boyband fandom and a fierce sense of community

Date
15 May 2015

There’s nothing quite like the sweaty, sticky, lightheadedness of that first frenzied, totally-losing-your-shit adoration a band can induce. While I’ve never really been a boyband type, I’m not ashamed to say I still have the 1997 Blur calendar stashed away in a cupboard, and that near-lunacy that accompanies the love of a band is still very fresh in my mind. It’s also very fresh in the mind of young designer Lottie Hanson Lowe, who’s created a beautiful zine about boyband superfans called Love Me Do.

The tome traces boyband fandom’s history “from Sinatra to One Direction,” underscoring the fact that the fainting, screaming madness that characterised Beatlemania is still very much alive and well. It features beautiful imagery and exemplary editorial design (especially considering Lottie is yet to graduate from her graphic design course at Kingston University), with articles exploring “how digital culture has influenced [fan] communities and what this reveals about our attitude towards teenage girls today.”

As well as being an ode to adolescence, blind and distant love and a fierce sense of community, this is very much a love letter to pop, reflected in the choice of pastel typography on the front cover and the high-gloss paper stock. It’s a beautiful reminder that however we consume our music and gossip – whether in an old-fashioned, posted newsletter or a polished YouTube channel – fandom will never die. And Damon Albarn, if you’re reading, you can find me at the address below.

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Lottie Hanson Lowe: Love Me Do

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Lottie Hanson Lowe: Love Me Do

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Lottie Hanson Lowe: Love Me Do

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Lottie Hanson Lowe: Love Me Do

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Lottie Hanson Lowe: Love Me Do

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Lottie Hanson Lowe: Love Me Do

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Lottie Hanson Lowe: Love Me Do

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About the Author

Emily Gosling

Emily joined It’s Nice That as Online Editor in the summer of 2014 after four years at Design Week. She is particularly interested in graphic design, branding and music. After working It's Nice That as both Online Editor and Deputy Editor, Emily left the company in 2016.

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