The Grid

For whatever reason, I’ve found it very difficult to find a book specifically on grids that I like: One that covers the subject in-depth, discusses the historical context and evolution of grids, contains lots of examples (with grid overlays), and most important of all, explains how to practically use the grid both in digital and print contexts. When I find that book, I’ll update this list to let you all know, but until I do, the best I can recommend are books like The Grid, by Allen Hurlburt.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad book, but it’s certainly not as helpful as you’d hope. It talks about the golden section, Le Corbusier’s Modulor, and other systems of proportion… but doesn’t adequately explain why they look nice or how to use them in practice. The book is also laughably outdated, so suffice to say, it’s not much help for grids in digital design.