This book explores the history of sound through experimental design

How do you translate something as intangible as sound into a physical object? For graphic designer Simone Zito, the answer comes through typography, material experimentation and a deep appreciation for the history of audio technology.

Based in The Hague, Netherlands, Zito is a graphic designer and one of the founders of Scazzi Studio. His practice spans editorial design, experimental typography, screen printing and visual identities, often exploring the relationship between physical production techniques and graphic expression.

His publication, SOUND, brings several of these interests together in an exploration of how sound has shaped the world around us.

Designed and curated by Zito, the book examines the history of sound, the development of hi-fi and stereo technology, and some of the most influential sound systems. It also introduces the fundamentals of building speakers and features interviews examining the cultural impact of music.

Visually, the publication moves between technical documentation and experimental editorial design. Archival advertisements, photographs of audio equipment, detailed illustrations and dense typographic compositions create a visual journey through different eras of listening culture.

Some spreads take a more traditional approach, presenting vintage amplifiers and loudspeakers alongside historical information. Others experiment with typography, using fragmented columns, unusual spacing and shifting text arrangements to create compositions that feel almost rhythmic.

The book's exterior is equally distinctive. Its metallic cover features a sculptural, irregular form emerging from the surface, giving the publication an almost industrial appearance. The contrast between the reflective exterior and the printed pages inside reinforces the relationship between sound as a physical phenomenon and the objects developed to reproduce it.

Measuring 200 × 250 mm, SOUND is presented as a substantial editorial object, one that invites readers to explore audio history through both its content and its physical construction.

What makes the project particularly interesting is its approach to music beyond the recordings themselves. Rather than focusing exclusively on artists or albums, Zito looks at the technologies, designs and cultural developments that have shaped the way we experience sound.

From vintage stereo advertisements to contemporary speaker design, the publication highlights how listening has always been connected to visual culture, industrial design and technological experimentation.

Through SOUND, Simone Zito demonstrates how editorial design can become more than a way of presenting information. It can offer another way of experiencing the subject itself.

Designer: Simone Zito
Publication: SOUND
Format: 200 × 250 mm
Location: The Hague, Netherlands
Website: simonezito.com
Instagram: @zito.graphics