This research proposes a number of methods and principles to explore the sound in a design process. Issues related to sound aspects seems to be neglected during the design process. So, how could a designer, even without a formal sound or musical training, use sound in the projects in a constructive, intentional and objective way? In order to answer this question, we investigated the impact of changes in sound landscapes in the last decades, caused by the industrialization and mechanization of society, which made it possible to dissociate the sound from its emitter, allowing the former one to be manipulated, examined and dissected. The impact and perception of sounds by individuals are also discussed. To do so, the knowledge coming from acoustics, psychoacoustics and attentional mechanisms are used. We also mapped the state of the art, evolution and, application of these sounds in different fields of knowledge, such as human-computer interaction, sonic interaction design, cinema, and musicology, with the purpose of obtaining a relevant contribution to the design field. As a result of this exploration, we propose a set of guiding principles and exploratory methods for sounds as audible affordances for design. Finally, future applications and studies in relation to the use of these principles and methods are suggested.