Labels

Design a wall labels for a museum, using a progressively-broader series of typographic variables to articulate the structure of information.

Choose an object from the Victoria and Albert Museum’s online collection, from the posters, books, or print categories. Create a label for this object.

25 variations

Design 25 versions of this label, working with one set of typographic variables at a time. In every version, you may always work with leading, paragraph alignment, and paragraph spacing.

1. 1–4: 4 × variations, changing only the leading, vertical spacing, and alignment. All other variables—typeface, font size, weight, style—remain the same.
2. 5–7: 3 × variations, working only with weight.
3. 8–10: 3 × variations, using font size.
4. 11–13: 3 × variations, using case and letterspacing.
5. 14–17: 4 × variations — combining a serif with a sans serif.
6. 18–21: 4 × variations, using font size, weight, and style (italic/roman) — one font
7. 22–25: 4 × variations, changing any variables — one font, or a serif and a sans

Specifications

• Trim size: 4.5 × 4.5 in.
• Viewing distance: readable by a visitor standing near the wall
• Color: black text on a white background
• Fonts: IBM Plex Sans and IBM Plex Serif (ZIP), a Baskerville (ex.: Libre Baskerville), a Garamond (ex.: Cormorant Garamond), Helvetica, or Helvetica Neue

You may vary font size in order to match x-heights of different fonts.

Required information

There are several required lines of text. You will likely need to edit text lightly. For one example, the London’s Tramways — Southwark Bridge poster, you would provide:

• Title: Southwark Bridge, the new tramway connection with the city
• Materials and techniques: Colour lithograph poster
• Artist/maker: Designed by Oliver Burridge. Issued by London County Council Tramways.
• Date: 1925
• Place of origin: London
• Accession number: E.781-1925
• Collection: Prints, Drawings & Photographs Collection

For this example, use only text that appears above in italics.

Schedule

Turn in a PDF on Canvas . Due dates, as with every assignment sheet in this class, are on the course schedule.