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Grid Design

“Grids allow for the distribution of typographic elements into a clearly intelligible order. Within the internal structure created, headlines, text, captions, images, and other parts of the message are integrated. The areas occupied, which correspond to specific modules or groups of modules, are referred to as spatial zones. After identifying all the parts of the message, the designer assigns them to specific zones. The result is a logical hierarchy of parts and information that is more accessible to the reader.”
[ Source: Typographic Design: Form and Communication ]

The grid is probably the most important aspect of the overall design -- and it deems the most amount of attention to establish it. Although it demands a lot of work in the beginning, well planned grids are wonderful because they eliminate a lot of work later.

The grid for your publication will dictate how many columns you will put on the page and where key elements will be placed. On the 8.5 x 11 page, your choices range from one to five columns or more.

No matter how many columns your grid is based on, keep this rule in mind: Studies have proven that readers feel most comfortable with between 35 to 45 characters per line. This is a key factor to understand when you design the grid for a publication.

A one-column grid is not always advisable because unless you have generous margins and white space between lines and paragraphs the line lengths will be too long -- too many characters per line. In the same regard, if you are trying to squeeze a five to seven column grid into an 8.5 page width, then the line lengths will be too small, characters per line too few, and the reading will be choppy and slow-going.

The decision as to the number of columns and how they are used should be determined partly by the number of photos or graphics you will use.

Modular grids can be helpful, and provide exciting variations in your document. Alternate grids can also be incorporated into a publication for those special or unusual content items. But be careful: when you break from the grid, it will be noticeable. The reader should not be aware that you've switched grids!

Typographic Units of Measure

Typographic Units of Measure

Grids

Margins

One of the more important elements of the grid is the margin. It is important to keep margins larger than column intervals. It is also important to consider gutter width when dealing with spreads. It should not look like the text is being swallowed by the gutter. Margins which are too small create tension on the page. Larger margins create calmness in your layout.

Modules

Grids can be made of an almost infinite number of configurations by combining modules. Above is an example of variations of a grid. As the number of modules increases, so do the possibilities. There is a point where the grids becomes too complex for its content. Beware of overly-dense grids.