If you break down the standard of modern grid systems, you'll realize that grids are a compound of pixels of guidelines that form columns.

The size of the columns and gutters can be adjusted based on the needs of the design using different properties such as column spans and column widths. Grids typically comprise a set number of columns or multiple columns (regardless of how many columns) and gutters (controlled by gutter widths) that define the size of a content area or grid section on the page. Grids allow pieces of the design to be laid out separately of their layout regions which helps to create a consistent and balanced layout, making it easier for users to navigate and go through the information on the page. Defining Website Design Gridĭepending on the grid layout, these columns can be fixed grid or fluid grid, which can help determine the alignment and placement of elements in page layout design. Every website design agency integrates grid-based layout into their workflows, toolkits, and third-party frameworks. The website grid design system has become a widely adopted standard in the industry. This provides a level of flexibility and control that was not previously possible with other layout grid layout options. Grids enabled web designers and developers to create complex layouts with multiple rows and columns and the ability to overlap and layer elements. With its popularity and flexibility, grids have become an intricate part of every website design process, which requires great design skills to be utilized. Many screen densities arise, and the need to create design solutions to make layouts and structures work for different devices, operating systems, and browsers has become a hot trend in the web design and development community. Web professionals faced different issues with the structure and responsive design. The era of fixed layouts and inflexible heavy-flash animation websites has finally ended.

Later on, different devices with various sizes and shapes dominated the marketplace. Web elements and layouts were fixed, and the website grid design is not an imperative concept that needs to be considered or concerned. Most websites at the time had the same rigid and contrasty design primarily developed for old desktop computers. The use of a grid system remains a fundamental principle in graphic design, and it continues to be applied in various design disciplines, especially in web design and development.īefore the days of website grid based design, web designers and developers could only develop print design style and boxy-style website layouts that were mostly empowered by HTML tables and images. Grids also became a great tool to emphasize the importance of structure and organization in design. Designers such as Jan Tschichold and Josef Müller-Brockmann promoted the use of grids in graphic design to attain clarity, order, and efficiency in design. The concept of grids persisted in graphic design during the early 20th century with the development of the modernist movement. Despite the rapid evolution of technology, grids and layout systems remain relevant in the succeeding years. It was used to arrange typography on print resources such as papers and magazines and was eventually adapted into the manuscript layout.Īs publishing companies became more sophisticated, so is the usage of grids on print designs which were used primarily for the orientation of different headlines, text, illustrations, and drawings for the viewer's excellent reading experience. The grid system and its underlying approaches came from the print design industry. Grids have been a part of design history for centuries, originating from the principles of information presentation used by the old printing press companies.

Design grid types