From the course: Graphic Design Foundations: Layout and Composition

Defining the anatomy of a grid

From the course: Graphic Design Foundations: Layout and Composition

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Defining the anatomy of a grid

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- Typically, when I say "Grids." People look at me in terror and run from the room because they think, "Oh no this means we're totally going to be stuck doing really boring design with no room for creativity." That's not the point at all. A grid is not a prison. It's a diagram of guides that you control. There are a few items that make up a well proportioned grid. Let's start with the margin. The margin separates the content from the edge of the page. The size of the margin is your choice. In a classical design, the margins follow a strict ratio with generous space around the content. In a modern layout, the margins might be tighter and asymmetrical. These are columns, this is a guide to position all of your content vertically. You can create one column, four columns or 20 columns. It's entirely up to you, there's no limit. Now of course, the more columns you have the more complicated the grid's going to become. You can put images and text in only one column or across multiple columns to make a larger image. Gutters provide space between the columns. This helps the reader trying to read all the way across from one column into the next column and into the next column, which would make a completely confused story. You want the reader to understand that he or she should read down the column which makes it a far better reading experience. Hanglines, help the reader understand the real estate of a page. They provide a guide to hang content consistently, horizontally. The reader knows where to look and what to expect when certain kinds of contents such as the body copy, headline and imagery always hang from the same place horizontally, and the captions hang from the top. Markers are the elements that remain the same on every page. There are items like running feet, running heads and page numbers. You don't want page numbers bouncing all around because then it would be impossible for the reader to find the page they're looking for. Once you have these elements in place, the margins the columns, the gutters, the hanglines and the markers, you've built a good solid grid. You can follow it as rigidly as you like or as loosely as you like. If the composition isn't working and feels wrong change the grid, you made it you're its master. It works best when the content relates to each other proportionally and the viewer can find the information clearly. So, that's the challenge. To breathe life into a very simple structure.

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