- One of the first things I consider
when I start sketching a design solution
is what type of grid works best.
Within the grid world,
we know there are specific types for specific projects.
Think of this like music.
One rhythm is right for easy listening
a faster one for hip hop.
The goal is create a composition
that is compelling and dynamic
in addition to being legible and clear.
Ask yourself these questions.
What is the content?
Is it one kind of information like a fiction book
or is it a complicated set of graphs and numbers?
Who is the viewer?
Do they have a short attention span
or are they detail oriented?
And where will this be seen?
Is it a bus shelter poster seen from a moving car
or a newspaper read at home?
The answers to these
should begin to establish the criteria you need.
Now that you have decided what you need,
you can choose a grid that works best.
We've covered the different types of grids
and this is a good place to start.
Our audience has been conditioned
to identify certain structures
with specific types of content.
They recognize a fiction book
as a single column of one size of text,
multiple columns with imagery and text, readers,
magazines or corporate publications.
And we all recognize website design
whether ubiquitous column of navigation
on the left or on the top.
But let me throw a curve ball here.
Good design mine is about unexpected solutions
that create excitement and joy.
One way to interrupt the viewer's expectations
is to switch grid structures.
Rotate an image or text.
Here a vertical image would be small fitting on one page
but rotated can fill the spread.
Fill the margins with content
such as William Morris does
with an intricate botanical illustration
or break the traditions of the grid and hierarchy
by using minimal type size changes
and enormous amounts of negative space.
Some people have photos of their family on their computer
I have grids.
If I need inspiration,
I can look through these.
When I find a layout that I like, I save it.
And in some instances, diagram the grid.
So how do you choose the best grid?
Of course, one is not better than the other.
It's always an issue of the content and viewer.
Explore variations and play with several grid formats.
Just stick to one typeface at a time.
You don't want a layout
that has multiple personality disorder.