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

BeusiCitak· 2026

Voice Print Buku

by Isabelle Tan

Client: Isabelle Tan

A' Design Award Beusi Winner in Citak Category

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Verified Award Winner
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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Voice Print Buku

Voice Print nyaéta buku ngeunaan disfluensi wicara, nyaéta gangguan jeung kateuraturan anu kajadian nalika jalma nyarita. Ieu buku ngagunakeun skor tipografis, nyaéta pola visual anu ngagambarkeun wicara dumasar waktu, pikeun némbongkeun yén kalancaran wicara aya dina hiji spéktrum, lain saukur kabagi kana dua kaayaan. Skor-skor éta dicitak dina kertas satengah bening kalayan éfék nembus (show-through) anu kuat. Éséy anu diset ku hurup bodas dina latar hideung, dina kertas ngagurilap jeung teu bening, méré kontéks sarta nungtun nu maca. Ukuran buku ieu 9 kali 12 inci, sarua jeung ukuran partitur musik.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Beusi

Voice Print Buku mangrupa juara A' Design Award Beusi, pangakuan anu bergengsi anu dipasihkeun ka desain alus anu minuhan sarat profésional jeung industri anu diharepkeun tina kréasi anu dirarancang alus. Para juara Beusi nunjukkeun kaahlian anu hébat, spésialisasi anu luhur, pamahaman ahli jeung kamampuh kréatif para kréatorna. Voice Print Buku diharepkeun jadi kréasi anu dihargaan, dikagumi jeung dipikanyaah anu praktis jeung inovatif. Desain juara A' Design Award Beusi ieu ngalebetkeun prakték pangalusna industri sarta ngabogaan ciri téknis anu mampuh pakait jeung pangweruh praktis jeung bakat. Voice Print Buku dihormat pikeun katelitianana sarta dirarancang pikeun méré paningkatan kualitas hirup anu mantuan ngajadikeun dunya tempat nu leuwih hadé.

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