My Account

Understanding Grid Systems in Design

One of your main goals when designing your marketing materials should be to always obtain a certain level of control over the way your reader interprets your content. If they read things too quickly or in the wrong order, it could muddy the message that you're trying to get across. One of the best techniques for achieving the perfect flow through your piece is to employ the use of a grid system within your design. Using grids will ensure that your document reads exactly as it should, and that your message stands out.

Simply put, a grid breaks up your content into a series of easy-to-follow, easily-digestible, regular units. One of the beautiful things about grids is that they're malleable - they can be as tightly defined or as loosely interpreted as you'd like. They're a bit like the backbone, the skeleton, of your marketing documents. Grids allow you to easily arrange content in relation to the size of the page, images, and even the outer frame of the page itself in a way that is both visually pleasing and effortlessly understandable.

Grids are great for not only controlling how your information flows from the perspective of the reader, but also to make sure that all of the elements on the page compliment one another in a neat and orderly way. Grids give you a system on which to hang every other tool in your toolbox. They've been used for centuries in nearly every system of writing that you can think of. Grids come in many different styles and they can be applied in a number of ways. Here are some examples of how you can use grids in your next design:

Grid as a Frame:

A classical form where text dominates the page and has thick, pristine borders around the edges of the page. This style is still widely used today in textbooks and dates back before the 20th century.

Grid as a Program:

A post World War II innovation by the Swiss, this type of grid sought to challenge the century-old page-as-a-frame technique in favor of something more unusual and surprising.

Grid as a Table:

A variation on typographic grids consisting of columns and rows occupied by cell data. The widths of the cells can vary as they follow both the x and y axis and are the basic foundation of web design.

Single Column Grid:

The most simplistic form of a Grid as a Frame, usually consisting of one simple shape to hold text. This option usually works best for simplistic documents or textbooks.

Multi-Column Grid:

Complex, yet flexible, grid systems that are often defined by a hierarchy of text and images, such as a magazine layout. This is the most effective strategy for controlling the flow of printed publications.

If you'd like to find out more information about grids and how you can use them for better effectiveness in your marketing materials, we'd be happy to help point you in the right direction.



Thinking with Type, 2nd revised and expanded edition: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students
by Ellen Lupton

REVIEW
Our all time best selling book is now available in a revised and expanded second edition. Thinking with Type is the definitive guide to using typography in visual communication, from the printed page to the computer screen. This revised edition includes forty-eight pages of new content, including the latest information on style sheets for print and the web, the use of ornaments and captions, lining and non-lining numerals, the use of small caps and enlarged capitals, as well as information on captions, font licensing, mixing typefaces, and hand lettering.

Eco Friendly

Eco-friendly promotional products are good for the environment and good for getting your message across to your target audience.

Tradeshows

Promotional items that endorse your business are great items to give away at tradeshows. They offer endless opportunities to get your message across to new audiences.

Corporate Gifts

Show employee appreciation and build company morale. Items such as flash drives, picture frames, desk accessories and computer mice make great employee gifts.

New Products

View our newest promotional products! We are constantly adding new items to our 300,000+ inventory to give you fresh and up-to-date choices every day.

Awards

Awards and recognition gifts say thank you to employees for a job well done. We carry awards, plaques, trophies, ribbons and much more.

?

Click here for FAQ's about our promotional products.

Promotional Products

We carry promotional items such as eco-friendly gifts, awards, corporate gifts, new products and tradeshow items.

Business Stationery

Our business card program streamlines your order process yet gives you complete control over your content. Letterhead, envelopes and pocket cards too!

Occasion Cards

We carry holiday and occasion cards, moving announcements, thank you notes and more. Customize your cards with logo imprints and other options!

Memos & Notepads

We print company phone pads, note pads and forms in various sizes. Personalize them with your company logo, names and contact information.

Programs & Announcements

Full color announcements and programs for fundraisers, trade shows, banquets and agendas. We also foil stamp, emboss and die cut.

Brochures

We print full color single to multi-sheet newsletters, product sheets, tri-folds, rack cards, handouts and promotional literature.

?

Click here for FAQ's about offset printing.

Offset Printing

We print items such as business stationary, brochures, occasion cards, memos & notepads, programs and announcements.

Tips & Tricks

Design and tech tips to make designing your job a little easier, marketing tips to assist your advertising efforts and print tips for faster, less expensive buying.

Tutorials

Check out our video on how to sign in to your account and place orders online.

Printing Terms

Look here for a glossary of the most common terms in the printing industry.

Templates

Find different templates to design your full-size banners.

FAQ's

How do I send a file? How do I save a document as a PDF? What is a CMYK color format? Answers to your most frequently asked questions.

?

Click here for FAQ's about our tips and tricks.

Tips & Tricks

Design and tech tips to make designing your job a little easier, marketing tips to assist your advertising efforts and print tips for faster, less expensive buying.

Presentations

Pitch books and investment books help you communicate your message with PowerPoint presentations, graphs, and charts. Custom binding and tabs available.

Manuals

We can print 1-5000+ copies of your training, safety and operational manuals and technical documents. Full color, B&W, binding, inserts, index tabs, even lamination.

Black and White Copies

Our high-speed, high quality B&W laser printers produce crisp, clean copies of legal documents, RFP's, variable data, digital output of files, manuals and more.

Archiving

Do you need digital scans of your important documents? Letter, legal, 11 x 17, oversize? We can PDF your documents or OCR scan your files to create searchable, editable text files.

Color Copies

Our high-quality digital color presses turn out beautiful invitations, flyers, brochures, newsletters, rack cards, coupons and more. We can also print large format prints and maps.

?

Click here for FAQ's about digital printing.

Digital Printing

We print B&W and color copies of presentations, product sheets, manuals, newletters, brochures, postcards and more. We also do archival scanning.

Maps & Prints

We print oversized, digital prints of well-logs, operational flow charts and pipe line maps. Turn your maps and prints into digital files for emailing and archiving.

Banners

Full color, affordable, retractable banners make great trade shows displays, point of purchase signage, directional signage and outdoor vinyl banners.

Oversize Scans

We scan large format documents such as well-logs, engineering plans and maps to digital files. Your PDF digital scans can be easily archived to CD.

Posters

Our digitally printed posters and prints are exceptional, with crisp, vibrant colors and photographic quality. Custom stock, mounting and laminating available.

Event Signage

Catch people's attention with color signage! We produce banners stands, pop up and hanging displays, full color table covers and tabletop displays.

?

Click here for FAQ's about large format printing.

Large Format Printing

We print event signage, maps, banners, well-logs, posters, prints and more. We also do oversize scanning.

Eco Friendly Tradeshows Corporate Gifts New Products Awards ? Promotional Products Promotional Products Business Stationery Occasion Cards Memos & Notepads Programs & Announcements Brochures ? Offset Printing Offset Printing Tips & Tricks Tutorials Printing Terms Templates FAQ's ? Tips & Tricks Tips & Tricks Presentations Manuals Black and White Copies Archiving Color Copies ? Digital Printing Digital Printing Maps & Prints Banners Oversize Scans Posters Event Signage ? Large Format Printing Large Format Printing Send A File Forms Factory My Jobs Place Order Request Estimate