ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS AND ICONIC BOOKS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY.
"The sheer invention of his design for Mayakovsky's For the Voice of 1923 - with the page margins stepped like an agenda to form an index of the poems - is comparable to that of Rodchenko's design for his [Pro eto] of the same year. (..) He constructed his illustrations from the printer's supplies, printing in red and black to enliven the pages" (Compton).

In 1923, El Lissitzky provided illustrations and typefaces for Vladimir Mayakovsky's “For the Voice,” a selection of thirteen of his most frequently quoted poems, ranging thematically from left-wing political agitation to witty observations of urban life. Mayakovsky intended the poems in this volume to be read aloud. Lissitzky described the book's design: "To make it easier for the reader to find a particular poem, I use an alphabetical index (indexed with the thumb). The book was created with the sole resources of the composer's suitcase. The possibilities of two-color printing (with overlays and hatching) were fully exploited: my pages are to the poems what an accompanying piano is to a violin." In this case, the artist achieved all his typographical goals: produced mechanically, according to a functionalist logic, the design, layout and illustration of the book come together to strengthen the emotional and intellectual strength of Mayakovsky's texts.
This book was entirely designed by El Lissitzky: photomontage on the frontispiece, layout, red and black printing, orange cover, use of signs and diagrams reminiscent of advertising publications, and a serrated index to find the poems. The use of this index is more innovative for a poetry collection than for a utilitarian work such as a directory or a technical manual: this choice is in line with the artist's desire to play with functionalism. The index with cards is designed to facilitate reading the book. The graphic designer comments on this rationalist approach: "My layout has the same relationship to the poems as the piano that accompanies the violin; just as poetry brings together the idea and the sound expression, I have tried to create an equivalent unity using poetry and typography." Following this publication, El Lissitzky received the Gutenberg Prize and became an honorary member of the Association of German Typographers.