E3 - Weather Forecast

This type exercise is a well-known typographic project given by graphic designer Dan Friedman, an AIGA Medalist, to graduate students at Yale University in the early 1970s. You can find out more information about Dan at https://designobserver.com/feature/dan-friedman-radical-modernist-part-3/38888

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Perceptual and/or Purely Syntactic Characteristics of Arranging Type on a Page.

Using a 30-point sans serf font in no more than three weights of your choice (i.e.: light, medium, extra bold), layout the following Weather Forecast on a square 7.5"x7.5" format. Outline the format with a .5 pt rule. Use a 1/2" horizontal and vertical matrix grid.

Text

weather sunny hot humid today and tomorrow fair and warm tonight temperature range today 96-75 tuesday 94-72

Weather Sunny hot humid today and tomorrow Fair and warm tonight Temperature range Today 96-75 Tuesday 94-72

Weather: Sunny, hot, humid, today and tomorrow. Fair and warm tonight. Temperature range: Today 96-75 Tuesday 94-72

Weather:
Sunny, hot, humid, today and tomorrow.
Fair and warm tonight.
Temperature range:
Today 96-75
Tuesday 94-72

Weather:
Sunny, hot, humid, today and tomorrow.
Fair and warm tonight.

Temperature range:
Today 96-75
Tuesday 94-72


Exercise

Create a minimum of six layouts developed in sets from simple to complex. The main concern is to observe the effects of message variation, accomplished solely through perceptible, visual changes in:
• position
• type weight
• type size
• slant (oblique)
• word spacing
• line spacing
• letter spacing
• clustering
• alignment
• orientation (0°/90°, 45°/135°)
• spatial relationships
• symbolic gesture

On two of the six layouts you may add two additional type sizes to your layouts. On two of six layouts you may also add color.

Objective

The sans serf font has been chosen for it’s non-persuasive and rather ordinary typographic content and as a vehicle for syntactic (and semantic) exploration. The final designs are expressions for perceptual learning. While the typographic permutations are on a relatively basic level to facilitate comprehension, the same theories could apply to more complex typographic situations.

All six are due on your blog no later than the the beginning of class, Tuesday, February 19th.  Be sure to bring all working files to class that day as well.