and containing the Four Gospels of the New Testament, we see both symmetry and balance. In the example from the Book of Kells below, created around 800 C.E. The proto-graphic designers producing these texts didn’t have formal training, but their work shows an incredible attention to visual harmony, and a deep awareness of the power of visuals to communicate with a largely illiterate audience. Drawing, writing, and binding these books was time-consuming, so why waste these efforts on anything less than what came from above? Historical romances and self-help books would have to wait hundreds of years, when the publication bar would be much, much lower. The hands of early graphic designers were guided by notions of the divineĪs with so many early cultural works, the earliest (preserved) published works were often religious. Grids act as the concealed framework guiding design from the ink and papyrus scrolls of ancient history to the pixels of today’s increasingly digital world. Alignment, spacing, and proportion are all important ingredients in creating a visual sense of harmony.
Designers are the wizards who wield them, bringing order and organization to what would otherwise be chaos. Grids work a kind of geometric magic, guiding visual elements to adhere to vertical and horizontal lines. From the office file cabinets to the aisles of a grocery store, grids make navigating our world easier. We don't have to look any further than our everyday environments to see the beauty and balance that grids bring.