- In my Foundations of Layout course
and the accompanying course on grids,
I stress the importance of proportions.
Consistent proportions based
on squares or the golden section
create a structure that provides consistency and harmony.
A layout is tighter and more accessible to navigate
when the positive and negative space relates.
Maintaining a consistent proportion with scale adds to this.
But there are other approaches besides squares
and the golden section that challenge
the viewer and designer.
History is one of my interests.
Ancient civilizations such as the Egyptians or Aztec
used astronomical alignments as a guide
for the position of structures on the ground.
Some theories suggest the pyramids
at the Gezer complex outside of Cairo,
were laid out to mirror the position of Orion's belt
of the constellation Orion.
The stars of Orion were associated with Osiris,
the god of rebirth and afterlife.
The position of the Nile river
can be included to align with the Milky Way Galaxy
in the night sky.
Many other ancient structures around the world,
including Teotihuacan outside of Mexico City
are aligned to other constellations
or used to calculate the time of the year.
Now bear with me, some of this may seem esoteric.
Keep an open mind.
It may seem nutty
and using these alignments as a guide for a layout
may seem wacky, but if it worked
to lay out the Gezer plateau or Teotihuacan,
why not try it?
Start with a plan of the site
and use the size and position of each structure
to guide the layout.
Believe me, you'll definitely come up
with a solution you wouldn't reach
with traditional methods.
Another interesting approach
is to assign a set of formal rules to a project
and follow them regardless of the outcome.
That means, no going back and fixing them.
For a book about the artist Richard Diebenkorn,
who works with assemblage,
a set of rules was determined before layout began.
The typeface size and location was set
based on type of information.
A name is set in News Gothic seven point.
Dimensions are set in Sentinel, and so on.
Images had to fit on the page
with the corresponding information on the timeline
and specific types of information,
such as the headlines,
had to hang from the same guide,
regardless of the look.
The result was a book that followed
the same process as the content.
Taking multiple elements and piecing them back together
into a structure with some formal restraints.
These alternative proportion and layout systems
are not right for every job.
A train schedule is probably best laid out
with equal columns.
But it's good to leave the comfort zone
and use a new system when you have the opportunity
to design something more adventurous.
Some of them maybe dog-ugly,
but you might find a solution that is mind-blowing.