Voice Print Knjiga by Isabelle Tan is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Željezna nagrada A' Design Award in Tiskani i Objavljeni Mediji Competition Category.

ŽeljezoTisak· 2026

Voice Print Knjiga

by Isabelle Tan

Client: Isabelle Tan

Željezna nagrada A' Design Award Winner in Tisak Category

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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Voice Print Knjiga

Voice Print je knjiga o govornim nefluentnostima, prekidima i nepravilnostima koji se javljaju dok ljudi govore. Knjiga koristi tipografske partiture, vizualne uzorke koji prikazuju govor kroz vrijeme, kako bi pokazala da fluentnost postoji kao spektar, a ne kao jednostavna podjela na dva stanja. Partiture su tiskane na prozirnom papiru s izraženom prozirnošću tiska. Eseji složeni bijelim slovima na crnoj podlozi, na sjajnom i neprozirnom papiru, daju kontekst i vode čitatelja. Knjiga ima dimenzije 9 x 12 inča, jednako kao notni zapis.

The Recognition

About the Željezna nagrada A' Design Award

Voice Print Knjiga je pobjednik Željezne nagrade A' Design Award, prestižnog priznanja koje se dodjeljuje dobrim dizajnima što ispunjavaju profesionalne i industrijske zahtjeve očekivane od dobro dizajniranih kreacija. Željezni pobjednici pokazuju veliku vještinu, visoku specijalizaciju, stručno razumijevanje i kreativne kapacitete svojih stvaratelja. Očekuje se da Voice Print Knjiga bude visoko cijenjena, voljena i njegovana kreacija koja je praktična i inovativna. Ovaj dizajn koji je osvojio Željeznu nagradu A' Design Award integrira najbolje industrijske prakse i ima kompetentne tehničke karakteristike povezane sa znanjem i talentom. Voice Print Knjiga se poštuje zbog svoje temeljitosti i dizajniran je da pruži poboljšanja kvalitete života koja pomažu da svijet postane bolje mjesto.

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