MODULAR GRID AND HIERARCHY
ALLIE HORNER VISC 200 SPRING 2020
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TABLE OF
CONTENTS
This project centered around creating a typographical cover for the novel Typography: A Manual of Design by using a modular grid to create elements of hierarchy. Text was used as the main source of visuals with added colors and rules to assist in emphasizing the organization of information. The grid then aided in building up hierarchy of the book covers by having each aspect of the design align to the given rows and columns.
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JUSTIFIED TEXT
FLUSH LEFT TEXT
FLUSH RIGHT TEXT
KEARNING TEXT
A body of text is adjusted by letter and word spacing so that the edges are flush with both the left and right margins of the grid. This style tends to look formal and serious, which is why it is mostly seen in professionally printed documents.
Type that is aligned only along the left margin, and is ragged on the right side. This is used in most bodies of text as it is the easiest style to read since an individuals’ eyes do not have to work as hard to find where the line starts each time.
Type that is aligned only along the right margin, which leaves it ragged on the left side. This is unconventional due to it being slightly difficult to read, so this alignment is mostly used in captions or for special emphasis.
This is the process of adjusting the spacing between individual letter forms. Kearning is mostly needed when working with larger sized text so that the gaps between each letter are more visually pleasing to the eye.
TRACKING TEXT
LEADING TEXT
FONT STYLES
HIERARCHY
The spacing between letters is adjusted to affect visual density of a line or block of text. Tracking is similar to kearning but instead of altering spacing between individual forms, it does so uniformly over a range of characters.
Horizontal space between lines of text is known as leading and it is measured from baseline to baseline. A healthy balance between this and the size of the type allows for easier reading and a smoother body of text.
These are variations that comprise a typeface family. Some of the most common styles are known as light, italic, and bold.
The organization of content in the order of importance. This is done by emphasizing some elements while subordinating others. Effective hierarchy gets the reader to look at the content in a certain way by stressing size, weight, color, style, and placement.
MARGIN OF A GRID
GUTTER OF A GRID
COLUMN OF A GRID
MODULE OF A GRID
This is the area between the main content of the page and the edge of the page. The margin is most helpful in defining where the line of a section of text begins and ends.
Gutter is a term that refers to the space between columns of type. The size is usually determined by the number and width of columns on a page. The gutter, however, should never be small enough that columns run together.
One or more vertical blocks of content that are positioned on a page, that are separated by gutters or rules. Columns are mostly used to break up large bodies of text.
These are units of space that are separated by regular intervals. Modules are basic building blocks of grids that are used to organize content.
TERMS MODULAR GRID AND HIERARCHY I 05
Swiss style of typography has an emphasis on neatness and legibility while also remaining of interest to the eye. This causes it to be used internationally since it does follow such basic principles of typography. The Swiss style emerged soon after the differentiation of design from fine art in the 19th Century. This is when grid-based design became essential to good compositions, as they encourage consistency and an easy-to-follow layout; however, this quickly becomes redundant when used often enough. Swiss style became the solution as it followed the grid religiously but relied on different elements of symmetry, asymmetry, and scaling to bring back that creativity in a relevant manner. Ernst Keller is known as the father of the Swiss style due to his beliefs in the importance of central focus to design. The use of the grid and good types in this endeavor became apparent through his teachings at the Kunstgewerbeschule School in Switzerland. Those influenced by him, such as Emil Ruder and Josef Muller-Brockmann, went on to further the development of the Swiss style by designing with what they learned. These men, and many others, used the Swiss style to create success for themselves and spread knowledge about this way of designing. Swiss style may not always be the best choice when designing, but it is hard to deny its’ versatility. That is why it is used so universally in elements of brands, logos, and even city signs. It is legible and easy to understand in most all occasions, and this can be a huge advantage in design when there is a need to appeal to such a wide variety of people.
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Emil Ruder was a Swiss typographer and graphic designer, most known for further establishing the Swiss style of design. Along with his other colleagues, Ruder believed that the purpose of typography was to communicate. This is shown through the mechanical and clean nature of his creations; however, this did not distract from the his compositions. Ruder added contrast to his work through asymmetry and the use of a grid to make the designs as eye-catching as possible. His interesting tactics brought him quite a bit of attention from the community and thus helped push forward the development of graphic design. Ruder having such an influence and admiration led to quite a few people taking inspiration from his styles and trying to reproduce aspects in their own works. This has even been done through web design in many different ways. It is easy to see why his designs capture as much attention as they do with their interesting compositions and playfulness with illustration, which many Swiss style users do not tend to do. Ruder focused a lot of his efforts in design on communicating the information clearly, but he did not let that distract him from adding in certain elements to keep a readers attention. Instead of letting the typography on the page solely attract viewers, he used shapes and images to compliment the true messages. This is seen most obviously through the use of scale and tension created by cropping and hierarchy. Ruder, in text, seems to be a designer that plays by the rules; however, he bends them to an almost unnoticeable degree that makes every detail work and flow together in an extremely visually pleasing way.
EMIL RUDER MODULAR GRID AND HIERARCHY I 07
Josef Muller-Brockmann is one of the most well-known Swiss graphic designers and spent most of his life creating and teaching. He was able to work in a variety of fields ranging from graphics, advertising, photography, and many more that allowed him to widen his knowledge. This background was a useful reference in his career as an instructor and consultant later in life. Muller-Brockmann also became quite successful for the multiple books he wrote over graphic design and his contributions to the designing community as a whole. This range he had throughout his lifetime truly showcases why his name still holds such a powerful presence. In his personal works, Muller-Brockmann was known for having simple and legible designs. This can be attributed to his desire for organization and order, even though it may not seem like it at times. Everything he created was made up of careful details that always had a purpose behind them. Due to his tendencies towards minimalist and objective designs, and his belief that relaying information was the most crucial part of any work, the grid system he invented became a vital tool that was incorporated seamlessly into all he made. This is obvious through examinations of anything that he created, as each element was carefully shaped to flow and constructed into a layout that was also visually interesting. The use of scale in not only the type but the geometry as well further proves this point. Each aspect was made to compliment the others and not distract from the overall goal of communication, making his work incredibly admirable for anyone looking to compose a page with such detail.
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Paul Rand is known throughout the design community as the modernist master. He was an American graphic designer and art director that was able to seamlessly blend the Swiss Style into his own works. This ability allowed him opportunities to create some of the most well-known logos for clients, such as IBM, ABC, Yale University, and many more. Rand had an extensive background that allowed him to experiment with his art and this attributed to his success. His experiences and eyes for design were recognized internationally and it is not hard to understand why that was. Rand embraced the Swiss Style and experimentation in a way that made him stand out from his peers. He did this by utilizing aspects of the grid and integrating type in a thoughtful way. While he did do a bit more illustration than is seen traditionally, he incorporated it by using scale and tension in a nod to that Swiss influence. Each image also reflects and adds to the messages that the works were created to communicate. Symmetry and asymmetry are then played with frequently to build compositions up and bring attention to the most vital portions. Rand was held in such high regards by the design community because of the effort he put into each design and his amazing attention to detail. This is emphasized in every one of his works and makes his expertise in this field more than obvious.
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Rosmarie Tissi is an 83 year old Swiss graphic designer that studied at the Kunstgewerbeschule ZĂźrich, which is where the founding father of the Swiss Style also taught. She then completed an internship with a very successful graphic designer, Siegfried Odermatt. Through all of these influences, learning opportunities, and her own hard work, it is easy to see how she became so successful in the design world. She joined the AGI and ADC, won multiple rewards, and then went on to give lectures at many different schools. Tissi became known as a very talented typographer and soon began to experiment with typefaces, dynamic layouts, and vivid colors while also continuing to honor her swiss design heritage. Her works contain a variety of interesting elements, including quite a bit of influences from the swiss style. The works she creates do seem choatic but, at a second glance, they each have a comfortable flow and a well thought-out design. Tissi follows a grid base quite well, but adds her own twists through assymentry and vivid colors. It is so inspiring to see how she relays information so sucessfully while also making the images entertaining to the reader. Some examples of this are her lining up of different text sizes to cause tension and the shapes and closures created through her placements of each of the elements. She uses assymmetry abundantly but none of her works are too overwhelming as she balances out each detail accordingly. Tissi is quite remarkable as a designer since she was able to take the tools she learned throughout her youth and create designs that are entirely new. Her works follow those basic rules and have hints of her past throughout, but are still able to portray new ideas when needed.
ROSEMARIE TISSI
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This project focused on showcasing the uses of a grid, the importance of hierarchy, and how vital each step of the process is in design. The grid was one of the hardest portions of this project to fully understand and utilize. It easily appeared as a limitation during the first couple of rounds; however, as the design’s gained complexity, the grid became a tool for organizing each element. This was extremely beneficial in learning more about hierarchy. By having a way to align everything, emphasizing and subduing different elements in order to show visual importance became easier to focus on. That is why each stage of the process was so helpful. It did allow for the designs to be more finely tuned, as was intended, but during each round there was also a period of learning about how to use the tools available to their fullest potential.
While the overall goal to create a book cover was acheived, there was also a large development of skill happening at the same time, which is incredibly inspring to realize.
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