ORGANIZATIONAL SYSTEMS
But we really start to see a system emerge in grid construction. What separates a grid system from a basic grid structure is modularity—where a base unit or units, of some size and measure, build(s) larger units. The larger whole is configured from the sum of the constituent parts: a screen and its assets over time, measured in pixels and frames; or a magazine, with its articles and ads in picas and pages. Grid systems help typographers assign active or supporting duty to every pica, pixel, or inch, and to order elements across space and time.
the
margin
First they help ensure that all the type
that needs to be present and intact is indeed present and intact every tell an
ear safe from the page trimmer or web browser frame second they prevent words
from getting lost in the gutters up books and from being Luke off on street
signs third margins keep our eyes from inadvertent lean flipping off the page
or bumping into competing screen text as he read which is annoying. The margins
primary function is to define the boundaries of text as a complete and comprehensible
entity.
the
armature
If elements are indeed like actors, then
the Armature is an assortment of connected stage marks that set up interactions
among the players. armatures are built through alignment. A basic Armature is a
vertical center line balancing horizontal text lines. other schemes are the arc
and curve. From spindly webs to radiating spokes, armatures are pliant, so they
work brilliantly for straightforward content and one-off productions, such as
advertisements and posters.
the
grid
Grids are brigades of intersecting,
invisible lines that demarcate space; there are organizing schemes as basic to
civilization as mark-making. Even the alphabet has been submitted to
rationalize grids at various points in history.
CLASSICAL
GRIDS
In western civilizations, early book
grids Evolved from proportional relationships, particularly the Golden mean, a
ratio of 1:1.618, which ostensibly mimics a proportion found in many natural
structures- conch shells, for example. The golden rectangle was inherited and
applied in various ways to medieval codices, precursors to the books we design
and read today. The points found at intersections, when connected, establish
margin widths and text areas that harmonize with the page. The classical grid
also creates other features that we relate to the form of traditional books,
including spacious margins and symmetrical facing pages.
MODERN
GRIDS
His design visually sorted both text and
image into primary, secondary, and Tertiary levels, based on the relationships
that the content required. In short, he considered the parts relative to a whole.
The modern grid has evolved to become an organizing structure that contains
text blocks, or columns, and ascribes hierarchical roles to typographic
elements. The modern grid is distinguishable from classical grids in several
ways. First, it builds equal margins rather than progressively wider ones.
Second, columns of text separated by gutters established the whole text area,
rather than the classical grid's one wide column, or single text area, although
the latter also fits within the modern grid scheme. Third, the modern grid
accommodates arbitrarily play skylines, typically for the placement of
headlines in subheads. Fourth, this grid is designed to support asymmetrical
composition. Finally, the modern grid is constructed from mechanical measures,
dictated by content needs an machine production standards rather than by
notions of proportional correctness.
MODULAR
GRID SYSTEMS
A modular grid system is in network of
rational spatial divisions and multiple alignments. These divisions are
determined from a base unit, or module; the idea to subdivide a rectangular
format into organization then sub-units. The typographer first determines an
irreducible element, specifically, a type size and comfortable line
space. This fixed measure establishes a base unit that is then extrapolated to
build modular fields, sometimes referred to as zones.
grids
in space, and in real time
The rationale of grid systems is
frequently applied to physical space, and to objects. Placing uniform signage
on the floors of a building, for instance, lessons effort for visitors as they
try to locate an office on the 16th floor in the north wing of the main
building. When layers of assorted text need to exist in both sequential and
simultaneous reading spaces, such as signage distributed throughout an airport,
a grid system helps travelers to recognize related information easily as they
come across each sign within the system. The grid assists the reader by
patterning the hierarchy of information.
FORMING
AND USING GRIDS
A knowledgeable use of grids simplifies
planning and standardized production, so they are fundamental to design and
typographic practices. Employing a grid can have economic benefits, such as
maximizing resources and minimizing labor. The tools we use and are standard
practices of production also sustain grid use. Once a grid and its guiding
rules for placement have been designed, they also streamline the task of
managing a lot of text. And of course, grids work to facilitate reading if they
are mindfully organized and populated with clear visual cues.
physical
needs
Text needs room to breathe. It needs
adequate space to function well in its physical environment. So, typographers
always take stock of the kind of content, the amount of text, and the medium as
they begin to settle on an appropriate and functional grid.
KIND
OF CONTENT
A primary consideration in building a
suitable grid is the kind of content to be contained within it. Specific grids
are predisposed to manage specific content, and certain kinds of content
inspire certain grids.
AMOUNT
OF TEXT
What we can do is expand the grid or
reduce the type size to increase the amount of text page. Or we can select a
typeface with A narrower set-width. Or decrease the line-spacing. It is
conceivable that a book contains so many words, in relation to the maximum
physical space and production budget, that the type is forced into an
unreadable size.
CLASS
OF MEDIUM
It happens that the OED content does
also reside on a website.
organizational
and navigational needs
Given how most typographers fuss over
grids, it can be disheartening to learn that readers hardly notice them, unless
their interaction is hindered by the lack of one. Designers can similarly place
elements at will within grids, as the arrangement suits organizational,
navigational, and communication aims. The structural system grounds the array,
while visual characteristics of elements and their arrangement direct
readers through the assortment to access the content they seek.
ROLES
AND RULES WITHIN GRIDS
Several types of information need
ordering so that readers are able not only to access the content, but also to
understand the relationships between the levels. The design of this book, as an
immediate example, manages primary, secondary, Tertiary hierarchical levels
devised from several divisions of content. The chapter section, one such
division, includes a variety of typographic levels, and each level has a role
to play: headlines, subheads, body text, captions, and so on. The primer
sections, another division, include other levels and rolls. These levels are
consistent across all members of the division, so each chapter employees the
same typographic rolls in the same way. With so many different but necessary
roles, one can begin to comprehend the value of the grid that reduces placement
options, and it's rules that help readers recognize the various levels of
information.
communication
needs
Different circumstances, uses,
communication requirements, and so on help typographers to make decisions about
the attributes of the grid, and its rules. A monograph designed to communicate
the subject of modern architecture might understandably look quite different
from one about a contemporary comic-book artist.