alpha-Aryl/alkoxy-substituted phthalocyanines (Pcs) were synthesized and the formation of J-type self-aggregation for zinc phthalocyanines has been observed in organic non-coordinating solvents. The mechanism of the formation of this self-assembly was studied by UV-vis spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy and MALDI-TOF MS, which revealed that it was stabilized by Zn-O self-coordination.