- Let me reiterate,
a grid is not a way to restrain creativity.
It's the basis for harmony and clarity and layout.
When I finished building the grid structure,
I'm ready to work with it.
Back in the old days,
modifying the grid once I began the project
was not an easy task.
It required remeasuring and redrawing by hand.
Fortunately, a grid on the computer is rubber.
It's easily altered.
So think of the blank grid in front of you
as a modular organizer for your closet,
not the County jail.
Here's my goal.
I want to find a solution that is exciting and clear.
My clients supplied me with images and text.
I start by bringing in all of my content.
I place the copy and images on the pace board.
Next, I arrange the copy inside the grid
considering hierarchy
and referring to my hand-drawn sketches.
I'm not worried about refining anything now.
I just want everything in place.
I find it best to start with the most basic
and plain layout.
All the elements go where they should.
I assign tight faces and sizes
and scale images to fit in the column structure.
Hopefully, I now have a perfectly acceptable
unexpected solution.
That's not bad in some instances
such as emergency escape directions.
But to create something more dynamic,
I need to start playing.
The grid is the safety net.
Since the proportions of the columns
margins and hang lines relate mathematically,
I have the freedom to change scale,
run text across columns and move the elements around.
As long as I use the grid as the basic structure.
The layout should remain visually cohesive.
See, this is the magic of grids.
Here's a good tip.
Don't restrict yourself to one page.
Create 20 pages in your document and try everything.
If you endlessly move elements around on one page,
you'll lose the chance to go back
and revisit the options.
You aren't wasting paper.
No trees are being cut down.
So feel free to add as many pages as you like.
Work big, make the image as a full bleed,
try it small.
Scale the headline to run over the entire page.
The point is to work with big gestures.
Scaling a piece of type one point larger
than one point smaller really doesn't matter.
Once you've arrived at a layout that you like,
you can go back in and do all the refinement you want.
The grid will maintain a sense of unity.
It's there to protect you.
Remember the solution should be dynamic,
legible and hopefully unexpected.