How do you use grids and guides to create balance and harmony in your designs?

1 What are grids and guides?

Grids and guides are visual aids that you can use in your graphic design software, such as Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, or Photoshop. Grids are composed of horizontal and vertical lines that divide your page into columns, rows, and margins. Guides are custom lines that you can drag and drop onto your page to mark specific positions or alignments. You can use grids and guides to create a consistent and coherent layout, and to ensure that your elements are properly spaced and aligned.

2 How to set up grids and guides?

To set up grids and guides, you need to first define your page size, orientation, and bleed settings. These will depend on your print specifications and preferences. Then, you need to choose a grid system that suits your content and style. You can use a simple grid, which has equal columns and rows; a modular grid, which has subdivisions within the columns and rows; or a hierarchical grid, which has different sizes and proportions of columns and rows. You can also use a baseline grid, which aligns your text to a horizontal line. To create grids and guides, you can use the options in the Layout menu of your software, or use plugins or templates that provide ready-made grids.

3 How to use grids and guides for balance?

Balance is the distribution of visual weight in your design, and it can be symmetrical, asymmetrical, or radial. Symmetrical balance means that your elements are mirrored on both sides of a central axis, creating a sense of order and stability. Asymmetrical balance means that your elements are arranged unevenly on either side of a central axis, creating a sense of contrast and dynamism. Radial balance means that your elements are arranged around a central point, creating a sense of movement and focus. You can use grids and guides to achieve balance by aligning your elements to the grid lines, or by using the grid lines as reference points to create contrast and tension.

4 How to use grids and guides for harmony?

Harmony is the relationship between the elements in your design, and it can be achieved by using repetition, proximity, alignment, and contrast. Repetition means that you use the same or similar elements, such as colors, shapes, fonts, or images, throughout your design, creating a sense of unity and cohesion. Proximity means that you group related elements together, creating a sense of connection and organization. Alignment means that you align your elements to the grid lines or the guides, creating a sense of order and consistency. Contrast means that you use different or opposite elements, such as colors, shapes, fonts, or images, to create interest and emphasis. You can use grids and guides to create harmony by using them as a framework to apply these principles.

5 How to break the grid and guides?

While grids and guides are useful tools for creating balance and harmony, they are not rigid rules that you have to follow blindly. Sometimes, you may want to break the grid and guides to create a more expressive or experimental design, or to highlight a specific element or message. You can break the grid and guides by using negative space, overlapping elements, diagonal or curved lines, or irregular shapes. However, you should do this with a clear purpose and intention, and not overdo it. You should also maintain some connection or reference to the grid and guides, to avoid creating a chaotic or confusing design.

6 How to test your grid and guides?

After you have created your design using grids and guides, you should test it to see if it works well and communicates your message effectively. To do so, you can zoom in and out of your design to check its balance and harmony, print it out to ensure it meets the print specifications, flip or rotate it to observe its stability, squint your eyes or use a blur filter to identify the main elements and focal points, and ask for feedback from other designers or potential users. This will help you determine if they understand and appreciate your design.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?