Voice Print Buku by Isabelle Tan is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award Besi in Desain Media Cetak dan Terbitan Competition Category.

BesiCetak· 2026

Voice Print Buku

by Isabelle Tan

Client: Isabelle Tan

A' Design Award Besi Winner in Cetak Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #178230

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Voice Print Buku

Voice Print adalah sebuah buku tentang disfluensi tutur, yaitu interupsi dan ketidakteraturan yang muncul saat orang berbicara. Buku ini menggunakan partitur tipografis, yakni pola visual yang memetakan tuturan sepanjang waktu, untuk menunjukkan bahwa kefasihan berada dalam suatu spektrum alih-alih terbagi secara sederhana menjadi dua keadaan. Partitur tersebut dicetak pada kertas tembus pandang dengan efek tembus cetak yang kuat. Esai-esai yang ditata dengan huruf putih di atas latar hitam, pada kertas mengilap dan tidak tembus pandang, memberikan konteks serta memandu pembaca. Buku ini berukuran 9 x 12 inci, sama dengan ukuran lembaran partitur musik.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Besi

Voice Print Buku adalah pemenang A' Design Award Besi, pengakuan yang bergengsi yang diberikan kepada desain yang baik yang memenuhi persyaratan profesional dan industri yang diharapkan dari kreasi yang dirancang dengan baik. Pemenang Besi menunjukkan keterampilan yang besar, spesialisasi yang tinggi, pemahaman ahli, dan kapasitas kreatif para penciptanya. Voice Print Buku diharapkan menjadi kreasi yang sangat dihargai, dikagumi, dan dicintai yang praktis dan inovatif. Desain pemenang A' Design Award Besi ini mengintegrasikan praktik terbaik industri dan memiliki karakteristik teknis yang kompeten yang terkait dengan pengetahuan teknis dan bakat. Voice Print Buku dihormati karena ketelitiannya dan dirancang untuk memberikan peningkatan kualitas hidup yang membantu menjadikan dunia tempat yang lebih baik.

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