- In my course, Foundations of Layout and Composition
we covered the anatomy of a grid,
but it never hurts to recap the information.
There are multiple types of grids.
Column based, modular, complex,
symmetrical, and asymmetrical.
But they all share some common elements.
Margins, columns, gutters, hanglines, and markers.
When I design a grid, I work with points and picas
rather than inches.
These units of measurement
have been used in typsetting for centuries.
A pica is close to 1/6 of an inch.
It is made up of 12 points.
A point is equal to one seventy second of an inch.
This is the terminology we use
when we talk about a type size like 12 point Helvetica.
This isn't required.
It's a personal preference of mine.
I like this unit of measurement
because it relates to the typography.
The margin separates the content
from the edge of the page.
It can be generous, or tight,
depending on your layout concept.
I like to use simple measurements such as 4 picas.
Columns guide the content vertically.
You can create one column, two columns,
or 20 columns.
It's entirely up to you.
Hanglines help the reader understand
the real estate of a page.
They provide a guide to hang content
consistently, horizontally.
Gutters provide space between the columns.
This helps the reader delineate the area
of one column of type from another.
If they are too tight, the reading is difficult.
If they are too wide, the information
will appear to be unrelated.
Markers are the elements that remain the same
on every page.
Page numbers, or folios as some people call them,
running feet, or running heads.
You can place the text in one column, or two.
The images are scaled to whatever size you want
within the columns.
You can create an asymmetrical, or symmetrical layout.
The grid is just a structure, not a hard line set of rules.
You can follow it as rigidly as you'd like,
or as loosely as you like.
Now it's up to you to breathe life
in to a very simple structure.