Comments on: Why use grids?

By: Leon

Leon — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 07:41:00 +0000

Hello Chris, Always a (nice) surprise to get a comment on a three year old article. I have to say that I don't agree with most of what I said here, and I did update this article. L

By: Chris

Chris — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 04:34:04 +0000

Couldn’t agree more.

By: Gigantic — Site redesign

Gigantic — Site redesign — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:24:48 +0000

[...] grid. This one’s based on ems: three 17em columns with 3em margins. I’ve written somewhat immodestly about grids in the past, and I still think the reliance on complex grids as an answer to poorly structured [...]

By: Leon Paternoster — Grids: Great, but use with care

Leon Paternoster — Grids: Great, but use with care — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 12:59:00 +0000

[...] I started this blog I criticised some mighty big names (some of whom are great influences). Rather stupid, but I was an angry young man just 6 months ago. [...]

By: Leon Paternoster — Site redesign

Leon Paternoster — Site redesign — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 20:37:31 +0000

By: Leon Paternoster » Blog Archive » Guardian redesign

Leon Paternoster » Blog Archive » Guardian redesign — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 18:21:44 +0000

[...] griditis The basic approach is to simplify the top level navigation so that users are encouraged to click through to sections rather than search for relevant information on the home page. There are a couple of immediate issues that need tackling: For one, there’s rather a lot of empty space in the right hand column – do I expand the current contents or add some sort of news directory? My Guardian redesign. [...]

By: Leon

Leon — Mon, 26 May 2008 08:05:13 +0000

Thanks for the detailed reply.

I don’t dismiss grids per se. This blog has uses a 3 column grid (17em widths, 3em margins).

What I’m getting at is the apparent belief that by using a stricter grid a page becomes more readable. A complicated grid encourages the placement of more elements on the page. The Yahoo example is apposite, I think: removing elements from the Yahoo page would make it more readable, navigable etc. (This is what Google does). Designers should be aiming to make their grids as simple as possible, not just more consistent. (Thereby making their own work simpler as well).

Look forward to seeing something on your blog!

By: Joey

Joey — Mon, 26 May 2008 03:52:59 +0000

I’m certainly not an experienced designer in the field, but I have to disagree with most of the points you make here.

“Yet surely decisions over information architecture should take precedence over layout. Grids encourage certain information architectures.”

I disagree. They are both interconnected and should rely on one another to make things work. This reminds me of Jeffrey Zeldman’s quote: “Content precedes design. Design in the absence of content is not design, it’s decoration.” I also don’t think grids encourage certain information architectures. I think they enforce ALL information architectures. The whole purpose of using grids is all about usability and information architecture, not simply to make a design look nice.

“Different online texts may require different structural approaches. If a designer is seeking to replicate a newspaper layout on the screen then a grid would be entirely appropriate. But is a grid appropriate for an encyclopedia entry? An advert for a pram on eBay? An online store? A blog?”

A grid is easily manipulated. A one column design is still based on a grid. Cut it in half and you have two, then four, then eight, then sixteen (and so on). I think a grid is suitable for almost any type of design online, it merely depends on how you choose to utilize the grid structure.

It’s nice to see the other side of the argument, though. :)