Moscow–Berlin / 1923
For the Voice
An interface before the screen
A digitised copy of the 1923 book designed by El Lissitzky. The image reproduces a publication, not a photograph of a reader using it.
Downloaded from Wikimedia Commons at a 1600px rendering; converted to a JPEG working master and a WebP reading copy, maximum 1400px, quality 80; no content retouching.
For the Voice brings together thirteen poems by Vladimir Mayakovsky in a book constructed by El Lissitzky. The poems were meant for speaking aloud. A thumb index lets the reader find a poem quickly, while red and black type turns the title pages into images. Published in 1923, the book suggests a useful way to look at the avant-garde: not only as an artistic style, but as a practical experiment in navigation, rhythm and use. A reader's hand is part of the design.
- Date
- 1923
- Maker / designer
- El Lissitzky; Vladimir Mayakovsky
- Material
- Letterpress on paper
- Context
- A Soviet avant-garde publication made through Moscow–Berlin publishing networks.
Evidence: Date established · Place established
Historical record
- Contains thirteen poems by Vladimir Mayakovsky.
- A thumb index and red-and-black letterpress support reading aloud.