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

BasiCetak· 2026

Voice Print Buku

by Isabelle Tan

Client: Isabelle Tan

A' Design Award Basi 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 adolah sabuah buku tantang katidaklancaran bicaro, yaitu gangguan jo katidakaturan nan tajadi katiko urang bakato. Buku ko manggunoan skor tipografis, yaitu pola visual nan mamatokan ucapan sapanjang wakatu, untuak manunjuakkan bahwa kalancaran ado dalam suatu spektrum, indak sakadar tabagi ka duo kaadaan sajo. Skor-skor tu dicetak di ateh karateh tembus pandang jo efek tembus cetak nan kuek. Esai-esai nan disusun jo huruf putiah di ateh latar hitam, di karateh mangkilek jo indak tembus pandang, mambarikan konteks sarato mambimbiang pambaco. Ukuran buku ko 9 kali 12 inci, samo ukurannyo jo lembaran partitur musik.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Basi

Voice Print Buku adolah pamenang A' Design Award Basi, sabuah pangakuan nan bapresti nan dibarikan ka rancangan nan elok nan mamanuhi kaparluan profesional jo industri nan dipaokan dari ciptaan nan dirancang jo elok. Pamenang Basi mamparlihatkan kamahiran nan gadang, spesialisasi nan tinggi, pamahaman pakar jo kapasitas kreatif panciptanyo. Voice Print Buku dipaokan manjadi ciptaan nan sangaik dihormati, dikagumi jo disayangi, nan praktis jo inovatif. Rancangan nan manang Basi iko mamasukkan praktik tabaik industri jo punyo ciri teknis nan cakap nan bapautan jo ilimu jo bakaik. Voice Print Buku dihormati karano katalitiannyo jo dirancang untuak maningkekkan kualitas hiduik jo mambantu manjadikan dunia tampek nan labiah elok.

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