THE TAP CODE

THE TAP CODE

Each year, the International Society of Typographic Designers hosts an annual assessment scheme that designers can enter for review and potential admission into the Society. Designers are provided with 5 briefs to choose from and create a typographic response to. I chose to create a 20-page book focusing on the tap code in response to the brief “Interactions” which focuses on methods of communication.

The tap code is a nonverbal method of communication utilized by prisoners of war (POWs) in the Vietnam War. Unable to communicate verbally in fear of death, torture, or the release of sensitive information to opposing parties, the POWs began using the tap code. Represented by a 5x5 matrix with each letter represented, prisoners would use taps to signify how many rows across and columns down each letter was.

Utilizing a limited color palette of black and white, adherence to a strong grid system, and a refined type system, the book takes the reader through the journey of a prisoner of war, experiencing his story and being forced to decipher tap code alongside written English.