This re-designed library card translates the machine readable language of barcodes into a form that also resonates with people. The cardholder’s name is encoded using a punch card system where each letter is represented by up to seven punched holes. Rather than scanning their library cards with a normal barcode reader, visitors instead scan their cards by winding them through a music box. The seven rows of punched holes correspond to the seven notes of a musical scale and each person hears a unique musical signature as they scan their card.

The same concept could be applied to driver’s licences, passports, staff cards or other forms of personal identification, so that each person’s tune would become a familiar motif in their daily life.