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

WesiCetak· 2026

Voice Print Buku

by Isabelle Tan

Client: Isabelle Tan

A' Design Award Wesi Winner in Cetak Category

5,387

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 iku buku babagan gangguan kelancaran wicara, yaiku pedhotan lan ora ajegé sing kedadéan nalika wong ngomong. Buku iki nggunakaké skor tipografis, yaiku pola visual sing metakaké wicara sajroning wektu, kanggo nuduhaké yèn kelancaran iku ana ing sawijining spektrum, dudu mung pamérangan prasaja dadi rong kahanan. Skor-skor kasebut dicithak ing kertas tembus cahya kanthi éfèk tembus pandang sing kuwat. Èsai-èsai sing ditata nganggo aksara putih ing latar ireng, ing kertas mengkilap lan ora tembus cahya, mènèhi konteks lan nuntun para pamaca. Ukurané buku iki 9 kali 12 inci, padha karo ukuran lembaran musik.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Wesi

Voice Print Buku menang A' Design Award Wesi, pangenalan sing prestisius sing diparingake marang desain sing apik sing nyukupi kabutuhan profesional lan industri sing dikarepake saka ciptaan sing dirancang kanthi apik. Pemenang Wesi nuduhake katrampilan sing gedhe, spesialisasi sing dhuwur, pangerten ahli lan kapasitas kreatif para penciptane. Voice Print Buku dikarepake dadi ciptaan sing dihargai banget, dikagumi lan ditresnani sing praktis lan inovatif. Desain sing menang A' Design Award Wesi iki nggabungake praktik industri sing paling apik lan nduweni ciri teknis sing kompeten sing disambung karo kawruh lan bakat. Voice Print Buku diajeni amarga ketelitiane lan dirancang kanggo nyedhiyakake paningkatan kualitas urip sing mbiyantu ndadekake donya panggonan sing luwih apik.

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