- There are hundreds of terms
used to describe what we do as designers
and just as many philosophies about the way we work,
but we all share this:
our job as designers is to create clear communication.
This is achieved with typography, images, and shape.
The combination of these elements
can be aesthetically pleasing or repulsive.
A layout based on consistent proportions and a grid
is more likely to succeed than one
that is haphazard and confused.
As human beings, we look instinctively
for pattern and meaning.
With the exception of a few people
on hoarding reality shows,
most of us organize our world to make sense.
We put the towels with the other towels
in the linen closet.
We don't put some in the freezer
and others under the bed.
We organize our books by subject, author, or color.
These actions make life more manageable.
This is the core idea of a grid
and consistent proportions.
The grid helps the designer organize the information
with hierarchy and order.
Consistent proportions provide a visual sense
of unity and clarity.
A grid is the same as the steel frame of a building
underneath the walls and windows.
It holds the structure together without being dominant.
When we apply a grid to a project,
the elements are arranged in a way that makes sense.
The text is placed consistently
and images relate to each other in scale.
Now, imagine a world without grids
and consistent proportions.
Every building would look like a house a cat designed.
No two windows would be the same size,
doors would be in all kinds of shapes.
In print, a publication or a newspaper
would have no sense of order.
One article might be large, another tiny,
with no relationship to the importance
of one over the other.
No two pages would match.
Reading would be a difficult process.
Nature is full of grids.
A spiderweb, a honeycomb, a shape of a galaxy,
even a snowflake.
Using a grid system is simply a way
of creating the same organic structure to information,
and that makes for clear communication.