Looking for more info on grids? Check out our new post, Grids in Graphic Design: A Quick History, and 5 Amazing Tips
Both budding and expert designers know how important a layout is to design. It’s the most basic and fundamental element of every project. Grids help ensure a consistent framework to organize graphic elements, like type and images, into a hierarchy. If you want to use a grid, or break it altogether, you have to first understand the basics of a grid system.
A grid is an approach to laying out a design. A grid is made of up of horizontal and vertical elements and modules that create a structure for your work. Because grids create a system, they can help a designer ensure that a layout is balanced and has a good sense of proportion. In your final design, a grid will help with readability and clarity, even though the grid will be invisible to the untrained eye.
History and Popularity
The grid system was popularized by the Swiss style of graphic design, which debuted in the 1940s and 1950s. The Swiss style is recognizable by its use of sans-serif type, primary colors and grid layouts.
The Swiss style has had a recent renaissance because of its emphasis on “simplicity, legibility and objectivity,” makes it incredibly relevant to digital design.