Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Grid by Text
Alternatively, the designer might approach the grid from the perspective
of the text shape and volume. The sheer amount of text that the publication must ac-
commodate is an important consideration; if each page spread must carry a particular
word count to fit a prescribed number of pages, the designer will have some sense of
how many lines of type must appear on each page. This variable might eventually affect
the column width or depth, but the optimal setting is a good starting point. Achieving
an optimal setting for text at a given size and in a given face will indicate a width for
columns, and, from there, the designer can explore how many columns will fit side by
side on a single page. Adjusting the size of the text, its internal spacing, and the gutters
between columns will allow the designer to create a preliminary structure that ensures
optimal text setting throughout. From this point, the designer must evaluate the result-
ing margins—head, sides, and foot—and determine whether there is enough space sur-
rounding the body to keep it away from the edges of the format. Since optimal width
can vary a little with the same text setting, the designer has some leeway in forcing the
columns to be wider or more narrow, closer or further away from each other, until the
structure sits comfortably on the page.
THE GRID IN THIS BROCHURE
was developed based on the proportions of the type sizes given
to each level of information in the hierarchy and the resulting mathematical relationship between
the baselines of their leading. Comparing the baselines of larger text elements with those of smal-
ler text elements reveals that they correspond on a regular basis, hinting that the grid is modular
as well as columnar.
