SB2: Initial Book Design Ideas - Grid

For the publication we have decided to make it contemporary, bold and reliable - this must be communicated through the design of the book.

The first thing I need to think about is a grid that would be suitable to use throughout the pages -

Always use a layout grid for your design projects. No exceptions.
If you don’t, you’ll never be able to repeat that look consistently. Your projects will never have visual harmony, and like anything which lacks structure or a strong foundation, your concepts will be visually inconsistent from one product to another and will always be a struggle to produce. Without a layout grid, graphic elements will not properly work together.

I also need to consider what type of bind Hannah will be using, as this will inform my grid style - Hannah informed me she planned to use the perfect bind, as this publication would be mass produced it is essential the the process is fast and neat.

The format is the full area where the final design will be laid out. In print design, the format is the page and in web design the format is the browser window.

Margins are the empty spaces between the edges of the format and the content. The size of the margins is what gives the content a general shape, usually a rectangle.

The spaces between rows and columns are called gutters. These should always be equal between columns or rows, in order to maintain a visual balance.

Modular Grid

A modular grid is similar to a column grid in that it has columns, but it also has rows. This kind of grid is used when there are more elements to organise and a column grid isn’t enough. Newspapers use column and modular grids to organise the stories comfortably and easy to read. Modular grids have equal size modules. This makes it easier to “break the rules” and use the spatial zones in different ways. - If the publication is to be contemporary, it needs to break the rules of normal city guides that use standard column grids. A modular grid will allow the content to be placed in a more interesting manner - whilst still being uniform and consistent throughout the pages. 

History

Grids began to get more interesting in the early 20th century, when avant garde designers working in, or influenced by, movements like Bauhaus and De Stijl began to experiment more with layout. For example, mid-century designers Jan Tschichold and Josef Müller-Brockmann developed new grid systems in the form of sparse, typographic layouts and poster designs. 

Müller-Brockmann in particular—one of the main exponents of the “Swiss Style”—pushed the limits of grids by creating modular and rotated grid systems. He published a detailed handbook called Grid Systems in Graphic Design, and it represents a collation of the insights gained through his illustrious career.

One of Müller-Brockmann’s most important insights is that the success of a grid depends not just on how elements are placed within it, but also on how the grid itself is positioned in relation to its container. Today, in print design, the container is typically the page, and in web or UI design, it’s usually the browser window.

In essence, grids began as a system for organising text, and so they remain today.

Modular grids in use: