Voice Print Liburua by Isabelle Tan is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Burdinazko Saria A' Design Award in Inprimaki eta Argitaratutako Komunikabide Diseinua Competition Category.

BurdinaInprimakia· 2026

Voice Print Liburua

by Isabelle Tan

Client: Isabelle Tan

Burdinazko Saria A' Design Award Winner in Inprimakia Category

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The Design

About Voice Print Liburua

Voice Print hizketa-etenen inguruko liburua da, hau da, jendeak hitz egitean gertatzen diren etenaldi eta irregulartasunei buruzkoa. Liburuak partitura tipografikoak erabiltzen ditu, hizketa denboran zehar mapatzen duten eredu bisualak, jariotasuna espektro batean existitzen dela erakusteko, bi egoeratan banatutako zatiketa sinple gisa baino. Partiturak paper zeharrargian inprimatuta daude, zeharrargitasun nabarmenarekin. Saiakerak zurian beltz gainean konposatuta daude, paper distiratsu eta opakuan, testuingurua eman eta irakurlea gidatzeko. Liburuak 9 x 12 hazbeteko neurria du, partitura musikalen tamaina bera.

The Recognition

About the Burdinazko Saria A' Design Award

Voice Print Liburua Burdinazko Saria A' Design Award irabazlea da, ondo diseinatutako sorkuntzetatik espero diren eskakizun profesional eta industrialak betetzen dituzten diseinu onei ematen zaien aitorpen prestijiotsua. Burdin-mailako irabazleek beren sortzaileen trebetasun handia, espezializazio handia, adituen ulermena eta sormen-gaitasuna erakusten dituzte. Voice Print Liburua oso estimatua, miretsia eta maitea den sorkuntza izatea espero da, praktikoa eta berritzailea dena. Burdinazko Saria A' Design Award irabazi duen diseinu honek sektoreko praktika onenak integratzen ditu eta know-how-ari eta talentuari lotutako ezaugarri tekniko gaituak ditu. Voice Print Liburua zehaztasunagatik errespetatua den lana da, eta mundua leku hobea egiten laguntzen duten bizi-kalitatearen hobekuntzak eskaintzeko diseinatua dagoena.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Voice Print is a book about disfluencies and the way we speak. It attempts to show the hidden complexities of fluent speech through typographic scores, showing that fluency exists on a spectrum rather than a simple binary. Alongside the scores are essays that provide context and guide the reader through the book. These essay spreads are white on black, and printed on glossy, opaque paper stock. It's design is intentionally rigid and mechanical, but still mimicking the fluidity of the scores.
Dimensions & Packaging: Width 228.6mm x Depth 304.8mm x Height 15mm
Tags: typography, book design, experimental typography, graphic notation, editorial design
Production Technology: The book is 9x12 inches, same size as sheet music. Scores are printed on translucent paper with significant show-through, representing the fluidity of human speech. Essays are white on black and printed on glossy, opaque paper, to contrast the scores.
Design Challenge: The hardest part was translating something as fluid and emotional as speech into a strict visual system. Finding the right balance between structure and freedom required constant testing. Socially, it confronted cultural biases surrounding stuttering; technically, it involved designing a typographic method capable of capturing temporal and tonal variations. This process expanded the role of design as a tool for empathy and linguistic awareness.
Research: This design research explores speech fluency through visual notation. The goal was to reveal the structure behind imperfect speech. Using recorded interviews, speech was transcribed into typographic scores that map sound over time. Participants included people with varying speech patterns. The results show visual and rhythmic similarities between stuttering and melisma, reframing disfluency as expression, not error, impacting how we perceive voice and identity.
Inspiration: What is fluency? Is it the lack of stutters? Does it signify perfection? How do we show the hidden complexity behind fluent speech? When we mention fluency, thoughts of speaking smoothly often come to mind. Disfluencies have been viewed as undesirable due to cultural perceptions. What if our pauses and irregular flow of speech arent seen as undesirable?
Project Duration: This project started in January 2023 NYC, and completed in July 2025 NYC.
Operation Flow: Voice Print turns speech into visual scores. Each page transcribes how we talk, pauses, hesitations, and rhythm, into patterns on a grid, inspired by the musical score. By following a few design rules, speech becomes something you can see. It helps us recognize that stuttering and melismatic singing share structure, showing that our disfluencies are not flaws but part of how we express ourselves.
Team Members: Isabelle Tan