The Grid

New book - Making and Breaking the Grid, Timothy Samara

Benefits of working with a grid:

• clarity
• efficiency
• economy
• continuity

- a grid introduces systematic order to a layout, distinguishing types of information and easing a user;s navigation through them

Anatomy of a grid - a grid consists of a distinct set of alignment-based relationships that act as guides for distributing elements across a format.

Type of basic structure:

1. Manuscript Grid

• the simplest kind of grid
• base structure: a large rectangular area that takes up most of the page
• its job: accommodate extensive  continuous text (book, long essay)
• it has a primary structure: the text block and the margins that define its position on a page as well as a secondary structure that defines other essential details - locations and size relationships of the running header or footer, chapter title and page numbers, along with an area for footnotes, if appropriate

• one way of producing visual interest is to adjust the proportions of the margins
• in general: wider margins help focus the eye and create a sense of calm and stability

                          narrow lateral margins increase tension because the live matter is in closer proximity to the format edge

An asymmetrical structure introduces more white space for the eye to use as an area of rest.

• the size of the text,space between lines, words and treatments of subordinate material - very important!!!!

2. Column Grid

• the column grid is very flexible and can be used to separate different kinds of information the width of the columns depends on the size of the running text
• in a traditional column grid, the gutter between columns is given a measure x, and the margins are usually assigned a width as twice as the gutter measure, or 2x
• margins that are wider than the column gutters focus the eye inward
• there is also a subordinate structure - these are the the flowlines: vertical intervals that allow the designer to accommodate unusual breaks in text or image on the page
• when several kinds of information being handled in juxtaposition are radically different from each other, one option is to design a distinct column grid

3. Modular Grid

• usually used for complex projects
• modular grid = a column grid with a large number of horizontal flowlines that subdivide the columns into rows
• smaller modules provide more flexibility and greater precision, but too many subdivisions can become confusing and redundant
•  sometimes the module might be the width and depth of one average paragraph of the primary text at a given size
• modules can be vertical or horizontal

4. Hierarchical Grid

• conforms to the needs of the information they organize, but they are based more on the intuitive placement of alignments  customized to the various proportions  of the elements, rather than on regular repeated intervals; 
• developing a hierarchical grid begins by studying the various elements'optical interaction in different positions spontaneously, and then by determining a rationalized structure that will coordinate them
• web pages are examples of hierarchical grids

Examples of Grids

                   Manuscript grid                            

I would probably use this kind of layout for my magazine as it is simple and very effective. There's white space as well which would give the reader the opportunity to breathe.

Modular grid with compound articulations

This one is similar to the grid above. A image spread on the whole cover and some text maybe to go with it, to explain etc

Modified column grid

I always liked text used in shapes or arranged cleverly to not look boring. I will definitely used that in my magazine.

Compound column and hierarchical grid

I have also been a fan of the full bleed spreads. Sometimes, adding text on top of them creates a really nice effect, like there's a secret revealed. :)

Hierarchical grid

Again, colorful rectangles bring a really nice effect put on top of images. 

Hierarchical grid #2