Tuesday, 5 December 2017

Grids : Modular Grid

A modular grid is a grid which has consistent horizontal divisions from top to bottom in addition to vertical divisions from left to right. Modular grids are created by positioning horizontal guidelines in relation to a baseline grid that governs the whole document. Using a modular grid can allow you to arrange text in as many ways as possible. This can be done by employing only one type of type and flush left alignment, this will construct a typographic hierarchy by the means of spacial arrangement. This grid system can also become more complex by adding variables such as weight size and alignment.  

Modular design has been popular at different stages for example, in newspaper design. The modular grid is especially useful for design where there is an abundance of content or lots of bits of content that might be unrelated on the face but appear in a design together. This is why the style became so popular for newspapers with so many unrelated parts on a large scale. 
The modular grid is commonly seen in website design, and is popular because of the flexibility of the modular grid. Modular concepts can be easy to work with when designing for responsive frameworks and the grid-style format works very well with some other trends such as minimalism. The modular grid system works for mainly any type of brief or style. And it will help to design with organisation and harmony.

The grid and modules within a grid help to determine placement, spacing and how to align text.  A grid can be a useful tool to dictate your design decisions. However, a grid doesn’t have to be restrictive.  It is possible to draw within the gridlines to create pattern and other combinations alterations are actually limitless. This grid can be set up in any number of graphic design software through grid lines and gutters. The grid system works by putting everything into blocks with a gutter width of space between elements. The blocks can consist of different sizes and shapes but everything must remain in the same harmonious pattern with both a horizontal and a vertical flow. 

The main benefits of the modular grid system include clear spacing and organisation. The grid also works well for most projects as well as helping to make work easier digitally. It’s a popular grid system due to its effectiveness in use. 

Aside from their practical uses, modular grids have developed an aesthetic image. Between 1950 and 1980 modular grids became associated with ideal social and political order that roots from rationalism. The Bauhaus and Swiss style celebrate objectivity, order, and minimalism and turned to modular grids to maintain clarity in form. This order and clarity can be used to create additional meaning. For example, it often conveys a technical or urban feeling and naturally communicates mathematical information.

Modular grids are common whether it’s for web design or typography and can be seen in use on most printed material, with the main purpose of organising information on a page. 

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