The aim of the article is to study such a design phenomenon as «zine» in terms of etymology of the name and its synonymous variability in English and Ukrainian. The main attention is paid to the ordering and systematization of the chronology of the formation of zine culture in Ukraine and America from the first carriers of the idea of distribution of limited editions to the present day. The development of zine culture in these regions took place in parallel with the acquisition of originality, depending on the socio-cultural situation and technological progress. Adherence to the set goal involves the study of the possibilities of using zines in society, in particular in modern Ukraine. Currently, samizdat has integrated into a new culture and is becoming part of contemporary art and literature. Research methodology. To carry out this study, the method of analysis, comparison and generalization of the documentation of the development of zine culture and its scientific analysis was used. Scientific novelty. The article reviews the parallel formation of zine culture in Ukraine and America. Based on the analysis of different points of view on the stages of development of zines and significant events that influenced it, the author’s chronology is proposed, structured according to three criteria – purpose and content, technical progress, institutionalization of zine culture. Conclusions. The article provides an overview of the historical background of the origin of the terms «zine» and «samizdat», which revealed the semantic similarity of the terms «zine» and «magazine». At the same time, the unique properties of zine as an object with permission for authentic (uncensored) expression, free from commerce, independent of common aesthetic, linguistic and spelling standards, full of unique ability to broadcast creativity and innovation, become apparent. Zine has been found to be a recognized category of publications that a number of scholars and practitioners have sought to single out as an independent form of design. The Zines draw on a long history of independent, alternative, and sometimes radical publications that began long before the first Zines appeared in the 1930s. Over the past century, they have evolved with the communities that produced them and the new technologies that have become available.