Grid Systems

Grid Systems

Graphic Designers often use the grid system when setting up the layout of any work they produce, whether that be posters, typography design, etc. It is constructed of intersecting lines on a page that enable a structure to be formed to a piece. The structure is there to allow the designer to organize the work, whether that be text, image, etc, in order to for the presentation and message to be observed more clearly. It is used at its best ability in newspapers, posters, magazines, etc. The system is favoured specially by the Modernist movement, the artists feeling very satisfied with the added structure to the layout of their work.

The designer Muller-brockmann believed that using the grid would allow a designer to discover their own unique style in the method of laying out their work-

“ The grid system is an aid, not a guarantee. It permits a number of possible uses and each designer can look for a solution appropriate to his personal style. But one must learn how to use the grid; it is an art that requires practice. ” 

-Josef Müller-Brockmann

The grid can also be percieved as acting as an aid for artists; allowing them to seperate an image into different portions making the piece of work more organised and easier/less-formidable to approach (this especially applies to painters). In the context of creating lettering and images, the typographer Wim Crouwel used the grid system with enthusiasm throughout his typographic work.

Wim Crouwel

Wim crouwel is a renowned modernist artist who notoriously used the grid structure as a foundation for his creations. Quite often seen in his work is that the solid block shapes often flowed across the exact same lines as the grid, and so the grid would technically be the exact compositional component of the piece. He often created his designs for posters, exhibitions, etc. due to his work possessing such a structured ethos; reveling in minimalism and clarity. One of his most famous works is the creation of the typeface 'new alphabet'. It consists of a very jaunty grid-like appearance, taking inspiration from the very limited and early display technology, 'Cathode Ray tubes'. Personally I am not a huge fan of this type of typography as I feel the modern-aesthetic of letters appears too cliche.