A Brief History of Grids

Adapted from Grids: Creative Solutions for Graphic Designers (RotoVision)

This whole business of grids is so difficult for graphic designers. Most of us love them. But we’re scared of revealing any nerdy or, worse still, despotic tendencies so we jump nervously from foot to foot, simultaneously belittling and venerating the grid. We’ve got to appear to be casual about it—but not so much so that our peers think we’re grid lightweights.

The problem is partly one of association. A grid is generally a series of straight vertical and horizontal lines so, if you’re interested in grids are you "straight" in other ways too? Ultimately, it’s not the notion of the grid that is important—it’s the hand that constructs, the brain that computes, and the perspicacious eye that exploits these invisible structures. Read More Graphics.com.