Best Practices for Graphic Designers, Grids and Page Layouts: An Essential Guide for Understanding and Applying Page Design Principles

193 Pages·2012·16.68 MB·English

by  Amy Graver

B E S T P R A C T IC E S F O R G R A P H IC D E S IG N E R S :
G R I D S A N D PAG E L AYO U T S
B E S T P R A C T I C E S FO R
G R A P H I C D E S I G N E R S:
G R I D S
A N D P A G E
L A Y O U T S
A N E S S EN TI AL GU I DE L I N E FOR
Understanding & Applying Page Design Principles
A M Y G R A V E R
& B E N J U R A
A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S
Ben and I wish to acknowledge several people who
helped us along the way. First, our editor at Rockport
Publishers, Emily Potts. Thank you for your guidance,
support, and most of all, patience.
We also wish to give a special shout-out to three talented,
rock-star designers who contributed project samples to
our book: Bryony Gomez-Palacio, Robynne Raye, and
Sean Adams. You contributed more than just your work
and words; you really came through for us—quickly and
with few questions asked—when we needed you, which
is the truest measure of a good friend.
Next, we’d sincerely like to express our gratitude to Paul
Johnson, www.pauljohnsonphoto.com, who not only
is an amazing photographer but also one of the kindest
people we’ve had the pleasure of working with. Thank
you, Paul, for stepping up on very short notice when
we needed several work examples shot immediately
(although when looking at the images one would never
know you were rushed—they’re beautiful, as always!).
We feel lucky every time we get to collaborate with you.
A M Y G R AV E R :
I would first like to dedicate this book to my husband,
Scott, and my children, Cole and Adaline, who love me
even though I never finish my work when I say I will.
I would also like to dedicate this book to my dad who
passed away not too long ago and whom I miss every
single day. As he wrote in his dedication to me and my
brother many years ago—you made it all worthwhile.
Thanks, Dad.
B E N J U R A :
To all those who have inspired me, and brought beauty
into my life—I sincerely hope that I have been expressive
enough in my deep gratitude over the years for you to
know who you are.
C O N T E N T S
10 INTRODUCTION 54 BEHIND THE GRID 80 Brandon Bird Design: Grids
An Overview on Display
12 Vignelli Associates: Approach Type & Column Widths
to Grid-based Design 84 Elements: A Modular System
56 HOW Magazine: Designing to Ease Line Extension
20 ELEMENTS OF A GRID for Designers
SYSTEM 88 The Official Manufacturing
An Overview Type & Vertical Increments Company: Divisions in
Type & Balance in Columns Space Form Content Areas
22 Oikos Associati: Turning the The Golden Section
Grid into a Focal Point 92 PAGE STRUCTURE
64 Lucid Design: The Twelve- An Overview
26 BASIC STRUCTURES Column Grid & Size & Shape of the Page
Single-Column/Manuscript Website Design Page Margins
Grids
Multicolumn Grids 68 HIERARCHY/ 98 Caserta Design: Layout That
Modular Grids ORGANIZATION OF Evokes an Emotional
Hierarchical Grids INFORMATION Response
Baseline Grids An Overview
Compound Grids Organizing the Content Live Area: Page Size
Scale & Impact Symmetry & Composition
48 UPPERCASE Magazine: Typographic Techniques Can Folds & Relationship of
Multicolumn Flexibility Impact Flow Content Across Pages
Negative Space As a Map Production Considerations
Using Relative Position to
Establish Importance
Color Can Bring Content
Forward, or Push It Back
110 UnderConsideration: Grouping 134 RELATIONSHIP OF 168 COLOR
with Grids DESIGN COMPONENTS An Overview
An Overview Color As a Unifying Element
114 CONTENT STRUCTURE How Text & Image Can Color As an Organizational
An Overview Be Separated Tool
Development of Read/ How Text & Image Can
Progression of Info Be Unified 176 AdamsMorioka: For the
Grouping Information Space Love of Color
Rhythm & Flow Scale
Pacing 180 BREAKING THE RULES
146 804: Spatial Flexibility An Overview
122 Memo Productions: Content Grid Deconstruction
Is King 150 WIRED Magazine: Design Optical Composition
Fidelity Across Platforms Organic Design
126 Alexander Isley, Inc.:
Illustration Grouped 156 TYPE AS IMAGE 186 Modern Dog: Design
with Text An Overview Organically But Think
Hand Lettering & Illustrative Rationally
130 Here Design: Illustrations Typography
Add Flavor to Layouts Caption Treatment 192 ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Pull Quotes
Folios & Wayfinding
164 Matador: Layout with a
Typographic Focus

I N T R O D U C T IO N
“Just as in nature, systems of order govern and grids are the most basic and impor-
the growth and structure of animate tant tools to utilize. Putting information
and inanimate matter, so human activity in a hierarchy, groups, or columns, or
itself has, since the earliest times, been utilizing any of the many layout and grid
distinguished by the quest for order… The tools available, helps us, as graphic
desire to bring order to the bewildering designers, design in a clear and useful
confusion of appearances reflects a deep way. We can embellish our designs and
human need.” make them more appealing, and therefore
— Josef Müller-Brockmann, draw the reader in by incorporating fonts
Grid Systems in Graphic Design and colors and images. But the initial
groundwork of a solid, thoughtful layout
As human beings, it is in our nature to is the key element that holds the design
seek order when we are presented with together—and makes order out
new information, in an attempt to sort of ambiguity.
and classify that information quickly.
This action is paramount to our under- We wrote this book to be a tool to help
standing of what is being presented. designers achieve their communication
goals by defining and showing how page
When a graphic designer—whose primary layouts and grids work. The design
goal is to communicate effectively—is examples, which we have carefully
faced with making the complicated easily selected to accompany the text, were
understood and the conceptual visually created by some of the best professional
realized, it becomes obvious that layouts graphic designers working in our industry
10 Best Practices for Graphic Designers: Grids and Page Layouts