Here are a few examples of some great grid based layout designs.

The grid based layout is a responsive layout, usually with 12 columns which can adjust depending on the size of the browser screen. Web designers appreciate it for its ease of use and ability to speed up the work flow. These days having a responsive web design is a must, not an option. Grid based layouts have a lot going for them and that is why they continue to be popular today:

• It provides a framework to structure content, which saves time;
• From a viewer point of view the layout is a familiar design, intuitive, easy to follow;
• From a design point of view the layout is a flexible one, making it easy to update content and make changes without disrupting the whole design.

Perhaps the biggest criticism for a grid based layout is that it is restrictive. Breaking out of the grid or wanting a more elastic and flexible layout is hard to do.

However the pros often outweigh the cons when it comes to a grid based design, especially in terms of a user scanning and finding information quickly. Grid designs are user-friendly so while grids enforce restrictions, creative people find a way to be creative with those restrictions.

The broken grid or asymmetrical layout is a trending innovation on the grid based layout. With broken grids, there is a lot of layering. The asymmetry of the design keeps things interesting, while the overlap and layering of elements creates a sense of unity. Other design innovations in the broken grid layout include the use of diagonals, moving content off-center for a dramatic use of white space, arranging the boxes in an off-grid grid.

The challenge of broken grid layout design is to achieve balance and harmony with asymmetry. Lights/darks, color balance, size/shape, all need to work together in a cohesive way. The other challenge is to keep the design looking good at any scale while making it fluid and responsive. Still, this design trend is really interesting and there are a lot of great examples of broken grid layout design. It can engage users in a fresh way while still keeping the flow and readability user-friendly. This is a great design technique to try for your next website design.

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Definition Source: Wikipedia

There are many fantastic blogs on all facets of web design and development. I am grateful for these, because anything you ever need to know and even stuff you didn’t know you need to know can be found so easily. There is just an endless and infinite amount of information to be had for free. THANK YOU INTERNET!!!

So in setting up this blog I have to ask myself in the face of such enormous competition what could I, a lowly web designer, have to offer? True, I am knowledgeable and I have gifts, but what can I share that hasn’t already been shared to death? Here is what I want to bring to the proverbial table:

•  Unique perspective.

Yes, no one is going to see it just like me. I have to draw on my artistic experience here. I remember drawing classes where 5 of us would be drawing the same tree, but when it came time to look at the finished drawings it was really hard to tell that it was the same tree, because every artist had a different spin on it. That is what I am looking to share with you, dear reader, my own unique spin on the world of web design. I do not want to regurgitate anything that you have already read in 50 other posts (unless I can do it in a totally unique way).

• Notes from the margins.
  

In the days before internet and television,  readers would often write notes in the margins. This practice still goes on today and has even jumped into the digital arena. MIT recently developed Annotation Studio, which allows for digital annotation of works, in order to foster more engagement and connection to text, and liberates students of their inhibitions of writing. You can read more about how MIT’s Annotation Studio empowers readers and writers. This approach is great inspiration for writing liberating comments, ideas, reactions, questions and thoughts for any subject – for me, specifically, that approach liberates me to the world of web design. I am not going to try to teach you HTML and CSS, many others can do that superbly. But I may have my own marginalia to add to the process which I hope you will find enriching and interesting.

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