Chapter five introduces the typographic grid which is a
“skeletal framework used by designers to organize information within a spatial
field.” I really liked the introduction paragraph that introduced the
historical background of the grid, and how through people like Jan Tsichold and
Max Bill the grid became such an essential piece of graphic design.
A hierarchy of space and structure are the key points of the
typographic grid. When a grid is established it is something like a master key
on which the other pieces of the whole should lay. However, grids are by no
means supposed to confine and limit the layout.
Proportions are crucial in defining a grid. A grid should
divide space in a way that creates a system of proportional relationships. In this chapter the “golden section” is
explained and how it’s laws of proportionality are found in nature and the human
body, etc. I was aware of the golden section and how its uses are numerous, but
I didn’t think of how it was such a mathematical equation.
The chapter goes over numerous grids such as single column,
square, multi-column, as well as modular grids. I personally really prefer the
modular grids as they seem to allow for far more experimentation within the
grid.
This chapter gave me insight into how to think more like an
architect rather than an artist, which I think is something that I too often
ignore. I really enjoyed how many different examples the book included in order
to better describe the grids. The structure and space that we try to establish
as designers is really far more important than we like to think sometimes. Far
too often I focus on the visual content of a single piece of my complete work
rather than the structural and spatial relationships of the whole.
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