Purpose of Grids:

• improve communication: make the page more effective in getting the message across to the reader

• make the message clearer to the reader

• make the page appear more interesting

• builds a family resemblance in multi-page publications

• create order and continuity

• avoids ambiguity

• speeds up layout time by giving you a frame work to follow

Some grids are best suited:

• to deal with text with sidebar illustrations

• for layouts where a variety of images are dominant and text is secondary

• for a mixture of both type and images

GRIDS

Think of the grid as a plan -- a plan for your page layout

Many of the pages that you see everyday have a grid:
• magazines
• newspapers
• web pages

You may not see it but it is there, holding up the design, establishing structure, guiding the page elements.

A Grid is:
- Regular placement of one column alongside another in a rhythmic pattern throughout the publication.
- A skeletal understructure.
- Columns and rows made up of uniform rectangles.
- Rhythmetic repetition of patterns from page to page create a unity
and harmony to a publication.

A grid is an invisible structure used to guide the placement of elements on your page.

Grids don't appear on the printed piece but their influence may be evident in the
- widths of column texts,
- the uniformity of space around photographs,
- the consistent placement of repeating elements from page to page in a magazine.

They are a series of guidelines that determine the margins of the piece, space between page elements (headlines, body text, photographs, etc.), and let you know where to put things on the blank page.

While it is invisible in the final printed piece, you'll need to be able to see it during page construction.

Poor page layout on left below.
Grid used to organize content on right below for better readability and design.

Grid columns are a container to hold the type and images.

The type style and point size must be appropriate for the size of the column:

Rule of thumb:
- wider the column, the larger the point size;
- narrower the column, the smaller the point size.

Grid Units

Grid units are the primary locations on your page where you will place text and images.

They determine placement not necessarily size.

Grids provide visual organization

Grids have different uses and may not be appropriate for all situations or all designers.

Publications such as magazines and newsletters almost always require a grid.

It provides page to page continuity.
It also helps speed production because the designer doesn't have to "start from scratch" laying out and designing each page of the publication.

In a series of single, but related pieces (such as a series of posters or information sheets for a single ad campaign or single product line) a common grid can help unify the separate pieces.

In a single piece that has many disparate elements (blocks of text, headlines, photographs, drawings) a grid can help organize these elements on the page.

Choosing a Grid

Choose a grid based on the content and adjust content based on the grid
The right grid offers the designer flexibility without overwhelming them with possibilities.

The right grid also enhances organization and makes it easy for the viewer or reader to understand the content.

There are no right or wrong grids, simply grids that are more suitable for different content and design objectives.