Thinking With Type

April 7, 2005

Grids

Ellen Lupton, “Grid” in Thinking with Type, 111-155

Do grids have more in common with tattoos, organized sports, or pizza?

I think that grids have more in common with organized sports. Organized sports have rules and guidelines that must be followed.

Argue for and against: grids promote blandness; homogeneous solutions

Some grids can be bland because they have been overused and become trite. An example used was the single-column grid used in a standard 8.5 x 11 inch page with even margins – “not very interesting design.”

Grids can be a homogeneous solution because they create a sense of organization and easy navigation. Grids make up a system in which everything has a function.

Describe the underlying grid used in Thinking with Type, e.g., how many columns and rows?; is it consistent?; is the text readable (how many words across do the columns allow)?; is the page design engaging?

In the book Thinking With Type, the underlying grid usually has 2 columns and 2 rows. It is not consistent throughout the entire book. There are different layouts depending on the content of the page. The text is readable and the layout is neatly organized. I think that the design is engaging because side notes and footnotes are included within the page.

Compare and contrast the grid used in the print version of Thinking with Type, with the online version/website: www.ThinkingwithType.com. Which experience functions better?; how do the grids differ?; do the two experience effectively/appropriately relate to one another?

I think that the online version of Thinking With Type functions better. The navigation is easier to use and the underlying grids are more structured. There are more columns with the online version than in the book and also edges of each cell are distinct, unlike the book. I think that the two experiences are appropriately related to one another, although they are very different to one another.