Kastav connects untouched nature with five thousand years of history in a place of harmony and balanced living, and the monograph serves as a reminder of the obvious: the beauty and allure of the Kastav region. The layers and position of the city itself were the inspiration for the work, which we envisioned as a fusion of a book and a work of art that narrates a story through time.

The cover was designed without a photograph or illustration, which are commonly used in monograph design. Instead, its layered nature is expressed through four hand-applied layers of paper, each of a different type and size. Additionally, the contrast between the typography and the background gradually diminishes from left to right, symbolizing the city’s firmly rooted and recorded past (on the left) and the future that is yet to be formed and written (on the right). In this way, through the relationship between typography and background, which also contributes to the simplicity and minimalism of the overall design, we portrayed a kind of visual timeline of the city.

An additional unique feature of the monograph is its use of three different types of paper, emphasizing the division into past (yellowish matte paper), present (white paper), and future (silver glossy paper). A similar principle was also applied in the layout: initially it is more classical with serif fonts, gradually becoming more lively towards the end, with dominant large surfaces, dynamism, and contemporary fonts. The monograph is hand-assembled, with each copy being a handmade piece—layered, combining various formats and various types of paper.

The text of the monograph was written by Davor Žic, with Dragan Ogurlić as editor. It was published by Naklada Val from Rijeka, and printed by Znanje in Zagreb. The concept and design were developed by Sonda.

Creative Direction: Sean Poropat, Jelena Fiškuš
Graphic Design: Martina Sirotić, Sanda Maričić
Head of Project: Mladen Gvozden
Editor: Dragan Ogurlić
Text: Davor Žic
Printing:  Znanje