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Grids for Desktop Publishing
From Jacci Howard Bear, About.com Guide
Learn what a grid is, formats for grids, and how to put together basic and complex grids, leading grids, and layouts. Use grids to provide page-to-page consistency, unify and align page elements, and provide design continuity across related documents.
Poll: Do You Use Grid-Based Design?
Yes, always, or almost always.
Yes, sometimes
No, grids are too boring or constricting
No, I don't understand how to use grids
View Results
Learn what a grid is, formats for grids, and how to put together basic and complex grids, leading grids, and layouts. Use grids to provide page-to-page consistency, unify and align page elements, and provide design continuity across related documents.
Poll: Do You Use Grid-Based Design?
Yes, always, or almost always.
Yes, sometimes
No, grids are too boring or constricting
No, I don't understand how to use grids
View Results
Grids: Consistency and Unity
Use grids to unify design elements with these tips.
Grids: Flexible Options
Discusses selecting the right grid and how to avoid that "boxed in" look.
Grids: Order out of Chaos
Illustrates design grids and their components.
Grid Alignment
For more complicated layouts the use of guidelines and grids aid in the precise placement of elements. This layout relies on a grid to guide placement and alignment of the various text and graphic elements.
Guides
Guides are the building blocks of grids in page layout. Learn about the different types of nonprinting guides found in most desktop publishing programs.
How to Create a Basic Leading Grid in PageMaker
Find simple instructions for the most basic leading grid setup in PM 6.5 for Windows.
Rule of Thirds
The rule of thirds says that most designs can be made more interesting by visually dividing the page into thirds vertically and/or horizontally and placing our most important elements within those thirds.
Visual Center
Placing important elements or the focal point of the design within the visual center of a piece is a useful page layout trick.
Asymmetric Grids
Tom Arah discusses why asymmetric grids are important in design and how to set them up in various page layout programs.
Design Grids
Save yourself from doing the math, use these suggested column measurements for 4, 5, and 6 column grids. Provided at Oklahoma State University.
Grids & Columns and CUTYOS
CUTYOS is a way of organizing the page around the shape of one of those letters. This Cultsock tutorial has examples of these layouts plus 1, 2, 3, and 4 column layouts.
Grids Make Eyes Happy: How to Use Grids
Jason Lynes walks you through the process of designing a page (in this case, the Web page) using grids. He uses text and thumbnail sketches to explain the steps.
Layout grids and columns
Mick Underwood's article has nice illustrations and good advice on determining the appropriate grid for your design, symmetrical vs. asymmetrical grids, and using a variety of simple grids.
Layout Grids: On the Grid
Discover the importance of grids and how Ventura and PageMaker handle grids. By Tom Arah.
Page Layout Grids
From the Adobe Web Tech Curriculum, these lessons are titled "Introduction to Layout Grids" and "Layout Factors and Guidelines" and most of the content applies equally to print and Web-based grid design.
The Grid - The Structure of Design
Writing for Poynter Online, Anne Conneen looks at the importance of grids, especially in newspaper design. Includes tips, illustrations, and a list of reading resources.