Voice Print Книга by Isabelle Tan is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Железна награда A' Design Award in Дизајн на печатени и публикувани медиуми Competition Category.

ЖелезнаПечатење· 2026

Voice Print Книга

by Isabelle Tan

Client: Isabelle Tan

Железна награда A' Design Award Winner in Печатење Category

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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

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The Design

About Voice Print Книга

Voice Print е книга за говорните пречки во течноста, прекините и неправилностите што се јавуваат кога луѓето зборуваат. Книгата користи типографски партитури, визуелни шеми што го мапираат говорот низ времето, за да покаже дека течноста на говорот постои како спектар, а не како едноставна поделба на две состојби. Партитурите се печатени на проѕирна хартија со изразена провидност на печатот. Есеите, отпечатени во бело на црно, на сјајна и непроѕирна хартија, даваат контекст и го водат читателот. Книгата има димензии 9 на 12 инчи, со иста големина како нотен лист.

The Recognition

About the Железна награда A' Design Award

Voice Print Книга е добитник на Железната награда A' Design Award, престижно признание што се доделува на добри дизајни што ги исполнуваат професионалните и индустриските барања очекувани од добро дизајнирани творби. Железните добитници ја покажуваат големата вештина, високата специјализација, стручното разбирање и креативниот капацитет на нивните творци. Се очекува Voice Print Книга да биде високо ценета, восхитувана и сакана творба што е практична и иновативна. Овој дизајн со Железна награда ги интегрира најдобрите индустриски практики и има компетентни технички карактеристики поврзани со знаење и талент. Voice Print Книга е почитуван за својата темелност и е дизајниран да го подобри квалитетот на животот и да помогне светот да стане подобро место.

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