How To Use Grids?

1. Know your requirements: This is generally seen when beginners directly jump onto using grids without knowing the requirement, the device, and which type of grid to use. Later in design and further development, this can be very confusing to resolve. 

There are a few frameworks that are already defined to use grid systems optimally. Such as 12 cols, 6 cols, 4 cols, and 3 colors even 2 and 1 col grids, here 12,6,4,3,2, and 1 are the number of grids in which the screen is divided. But not only this can be used, but there might also be a screen that requires an 8-col grid and it is completely okay to use a customized grid that suits the need. Not only grids but keep in mind the screens as well, using the same grids for multiple devices might not be a good option. 

2. Take care of text alignment: Make sure that all the text irrespective of the font weight and size, everything should be placed on a fixed baseline. This is a part of the layout as well and maintaining a grid layout along with text hierarchy would make the content and website/app appear more pleasing to the eyes.

3. Emphasize breaking the grid: It is a rule that says while using a grid it is mandatory to place all elements inside the grid boundary but nowadays it is more popular to break the grid to emphasize certain elements. When something is out of alignment or disturbing the layout it gets noticed easily, a similar trend is getting by breaking grid boundaries.

4. Maintain gutter balance: Equally, pay attention to both vertical and horizontal grid alignments. For example, if you are using a gutter of 20px between 2 vertical columns keep the same gutter between horizontal rows as well. Doing this would make the content on the screen very well organized even if not symmetric.

5. Use 8pt grid: Using baseline numbers and their multiple promotes layout to fit as per screen sizes. Such as the 8pt grid, which is the most popular. An 8pt grid is currently widely used because it allows designs to grow well on retina screens like iPhones and TV screens and works with both vector and pixel-based graphics.

6. Know where to start: Always remember to place the content on the screen using the grid as a guideline, start with a grid, not with the gutter. Keep content aligned with the start and end of a column’s edge, module, or pixel. This might not sound critical from a design perspective but it is very helpful to guide a developer on how and where to place media content like images and video. As developers also do follow the grid system which codes your designs.

7. Use grid generators: There are good options available online for generating a grid based on the screen sizes. This can be very useful for the times when you are just starting with visual designs. Using them speeds up the process and ensures the layout is optimized for use.

Grid layouts are the building blocks of final amazing-looking designs. Creating symmetric and unified designs using grids is very important. Effective use of grids helps designers in creating designs that are simple for end users to scan and use. Grids ensure consistency across different platforms by adjusting to different screen sizes and orientations. In this article, we’ll dive deep into the concept of grids and understand how to use this tool to create consistent and unified designs. In this article, we’ll cover Grid System In UI Design. 

Depending upon screen sizes, we have some guidelines to use grids. These guidelines are globally accepted, and help in better articulation of designs concerning specific screen sizes.

The topic we’ll be looking at to understand grids better:

• What is a grid?
• Basic terminologies used in grids
• Types of grids with examples
• How to use grids
• Benefits of using grids