While reading through one of my design books – Graphic Design the New Basics – I came upon the section on modularity and was struck by the opening paragraph:

“Every design problem is completed within a set of constraints or limitations. These limits can be as broad as “design a logo,” as generic as “print on standard letter paper,” or as narrow as “arrange six circles in a square space.” Working within the constraints of a problem is part of the fun and challenge of design.”

What I find interesting about these statements is how these constraints offer both challenges and comforts for the designer.  I am a modular, grid- oriented designer. I enjoy the system. In fact, I would say that I start with simple combinations of elements that fit together like a puzzle. Of course, this also means that I have to be pushed out of that comfort zone to be more dynamic, and that is my dilemma.

I am currently working on a book project, and one of the greatest challenges thus far has been balancing a cohesive design structure without becoming mundane in layout. In order to understand the design concept, here is a little background on the content. This book is titled Art Education: Lessons Worth Learning, a text outlining my philosophies on art education and its importance to society. The color palette stems from the color wheel, providing a vibrant range of color choices. The book measures 6.5″ x 6″, and relies heavily on the use of squares.

Here are some examples to show how I am attempting to break up the design monotony as I move through the 45 pages of content. Keep in mind, this is a work in progress.

Introduction Section

Being the first section of the text, it is important to set up the overall structure of the entire book. As you can see here, the sections open with a double page spread with full color background and minimal text. Each section is “assigned” a color for their spreads and folios. This establishes a categorization method throughout the text. This section happens to be the longest, perhaps because it is semi-autobiographical and recounts my personal artistic journey. So, for the shorter sections (some only being one to two pages of text) I had to be creative mixing pictures and body copy.

Conclusion Section

As you can see the basic structure is the same, but the addition of pull quotes and photos inserted into the body copy breaks up the text; adding intrigue to the page layout. The spreads are working together as opposed to separate elements.

Studio Problems Section

There are a total of five sections in the book describing my philosophies, then the tone changes as the content focuses on how to bring these theories into the classroom environment. So, the design had to shift slightly while still remaining cohesive with the overall design.

As you can see here there are similarities, i.e. folios, however the section starts with a photo/text spread instead of the standard set by the other sections. Also, the pages describing the lessons have one side filled with color while the other is balanced with white space and colored text boxes (vector images will also be introduced when appropriate).

What keeps this design fluid throughout the entire book is the grid. Yes, there are other design decisions that contribute to its unifying structure, but the grid set-up on each master page holds the aesthetic together. Keep in mind that the grid does not have to be overly complex. The one used for this project is 3 column. The small size of the pages and the accompanying margins (1.25″ top, 0.5″ outside and bottom, & 1″ inside) do not need more than a few columns to serves as the internal architecture. The designer has to decide what grid is appropriate for each individual project.

For more on grid structures and interesting ways in using the grid, here are some links:

Five Simple Steps to Designing Grid Systems, by Mark Boulton
http://www.markboulton.co.uk/journal/comments/five-simple-steps-to-designing-grid-systems-preface

AND

http://www.thegridsystem.org/

Grids are everywhere; once you notice them, you will begin to appreciate their silent framework.

Happy designing, L