A grid is a structure that allows you to organize content or elements.
Grid is a term that can be used in different contexts . In its broadest sense, it can be defined as a two-dimensional structure that allows certain elements or contents to be organized .
The grid as a design tool emerged in ancient times. Painters, sculptors and architects used the so-called golden ratio as a basis to maintain proportions and harmony . In this way, using perpendicular and parallel lines, they drew a grid that guided the subsequent development of the work.
The golden number (also known as the golden ratio , golden mean , and golden number , among other names) arose as a result of a deep observation of nature, of elements such as the human body itself, beehives, seashells, leaves and flowers, since all of them seem to obey a certain mathematical formula that hides the secret of their apparent harmony , of that which we recognize as "the perfection of nature" and that seems indecipherable.
Grids in design
Nowadays, grids are used in graphic design and web design to structure content. Although they are a support for creation, they are generally not taken as a precise limit, meaning that they can be transcended by the artist .
In the field of design, the use of a grid is very necessary to establish the foundations of a work before starting with the details . Since it is a very broad and versatile concept, the appearance of the grid can also be very varied: depending on the needs and characteristics of each case, it can be a large rectangle divided into cells ; several squares of different sizes distributed throughout the work space; etc.
When creating a website, for example, the grid used to arrange elements usually consists of a rectangle for the marquee, where the logo will be located, another for the main menu, and then a series of cells of various shapes to indicate the position of the articles on the front page, advertising spaces, social network widgets and the description of the site, among many other possible elements . Free blog creation services, such as Blogger , often feature this design tool to make the work easier for their users.
Grids are very important in the field of design.
A model
A synonym for grid in this context could be a layout , when it is the basis for the arrangement of elements, and this was already used before the digital age, for the creation of magazines, newspapers and books.
This structure must take into account several factors, including the format of the sheet (whether physical or digital) and its orientation , but also whether there will be the option to scale and restructure the content in real time; since we can currently access the same document through very different means (a computer, a phone, a tablet), it is necessary to devise a design capable of adapting to the resolution and the mode of interaction of each one.
Other uses of the term reticule
In the context of the photoengraving process, a grid is the network of dots that is used, based on changes in the density of grouping of these dots, to develop different shades of light and shadow.
For topography , the grid is a plate that is divided into very small squares in order to establish the area of a certain figure.
In some countries , finally, the scheme or diagram that details the subjects that form part of a degree is called a grid. In this way, by observing a grid, we can know how the different subjects that must be taken to complete the degree are structured. This facilitates the planning of the courses and the organization of the studies that are going to be developed.