grids and magazine design 11

clarity, efficiency, continuity

grids provide layouts with (3) things:

clarity

grids make layouts easier to follow, organized info and clearer to read

efficiency

grids make designers job faster to put info together, and bc info is well organized, it makes it more efficient for the reader to take in the info

continuity

grids visually connect designs from page to page and spread to spread. helps build branding and give visual identity to documents

*parts of a grid

margins

the negative space between the edge of the content and the outer edge of the area

columns

vertical bands of modules, there can be any number of these in a grid. more of this leads to more flexibility with the layout; width can be equal or vary

gutters

spaces separating columns; minimum width should be the hight of a capital letter in the body copy but has to be larger than the amount of leading

column gutters (alleys) and page gutters

two types of gutters

flowlines

horizontal lines that break the space into horizontal bands, can be used to help guide the eye across the page and to help alignment

modules

individual units of space that occupy the width of the column and flowlines

spatial zones

fields of adjacent modules, each field can be assigned a specific function

sink

a large and consistent amount of space between the top of a page and that start of each column of text or imagery

folio

page number; placement is always mirrored on a spread

running header and footer

lines at the top and bottom of page that give info about the document like title, chapter, date, etc.; placement is always mirrored on a spread

1. keep content organized

2. will make type appear neater and more organized/increase readability

3. will enhance visual hierarchy

4. can encourage white space, gives eyes a break and separate info

5. grids are highly flexible

6. break the grid for extra impact

why are grids so important to a page layout