1. Using Grid-based Web Design to Optimize Content Authoring and Presentation Matt Gipson and Charles Moad Indianapolis Museum of Art, USA MW2011 Mini-Workshop Philadelphia, PA April 9th, 2011

2. Why This Talk?

3. A Common Language

4. What We Will Cover History Benefits for Designers Developers Content Authors Case Study Looking Ahead

5. History of Grid-Based Design Emil Ruder Swiss typographer and graphic designer, who with Armin Hofmann helped to found a graphic style known as the Swiss Style. The Swiss Style was defined by the use of sans-serif typefaces, and employed a page grid for structure, producing asymmetrical layouts.

6. History of Grid-Based Design Josef Müller-Brockmann Grid Systems – The first detailed publication to show how the grid is constructed, applied and learned.

7. History: Josef Müller-Brockmann Early Josef Müller-Brockmann Poster Designs http://www.flickr.com/photos/blankaposters/sets/72157605199393277/

8. History: Josef Müller-Brockmann Early Josef Müller-Brockmann Poster Designs http://www.flickr.com/photos/blankaposters/sets/72157605199393277/

9. Benefits for Designers A grid framework automatically defines the number of, padding, and margin of columns. Clear and logical pattern which helps organize a wide range of dynamic content scenarios. This alleviates micro-managing content level design with a defined structure for organizing content.

10. Benefits for Designers Dramatically cut the time devoted to creating CSS - style sheets to define.

11. Benefits for Designers The grid allows designers to spend more time on style, less on math &coding.

12. Benefits for Designers The grid also provides a template that can easily be replicated, customized, and rapidly implemented.

13. Grid Fallacies Some designers avoid the use of a grid-systembecause they believe using it will limit their design options. Designers worry that a grid will force creativity into a rigid structure leaving little room for unique style.

14. Benefits for Designers - Tricks Use negative margins to pull elements out of the grid boundaries. Abandon the grid inside or outside content areas.

15. Benefits for Designers - Tricks Use background Images that bleed outside of the boundaries of the grid. Wrap grid divs with container divs which can span the entire page for example.

17. Benefits for Designers - Examples Note the scale of the site logo and the intentional offset from the grid.

18. Benefits for Designers - Examples Note the use of a large scale image and it’s placement fitting it to the grid. Also note the products centered in blocks.

19. Benefits for Designers - Examples Note the use of a liquid header background image that spans the whole page behind the grid. This can be achieved using a wrapping div.

20. Benefits for Designers - Examples Note the use of a large header background image and how it is pulled out of the grid on the left hand side.

21. Benefits for Software Developers A clear set of CSS rules to follow

22. Under the Hood <div class=“grid_12”> <div class=“grid_6alpha” /> <div class=“grid_3” /> <div class=“grid_3omega” /> </div> grid_12 grid_6 alpha grid_3 grid_3 omega

23. Benefits for Software Developers Tools are easier to build. Predetermine image/content sizes; layouts

24. Benefits for Software Developers 5 developers vs. 1 designer (How’s that work?)

25. Benefits for Content Authors Easy to understand concept

26. Benefits for Content Authors Indirectly enforces consistency

27. Benefits for Content Authors Enables rich layouts

28. Benefits for Content Authors Simple tools

29. General Benefits Works well with new-age devices

30. IMAmuseum.org: A Case Study

32. IMA: All CSS Enabled

33. IMA: All Except 960.css

34. IMA: Just 960.css

35. IMA: All CSS Enabled

36. Image Specs Before the Grid Old imamuseum.org style-guide – A list of image names and sizes.

37. Image Specs Before the Grid Old imamuseum.org style-guide – A list of image names and sizes.

38. WIKI Markup Before <div class="bodycopy first"> <div class="copyleft"> <h3>Hours</h3> </div> <div class="copyright"> <p><imgsrc="/images/size-g/open.png"/> The museum is open from 9am to 5pm.</p> </div> </div> After === Hours [img:open.png|width=1]The museum is open from 9am to 5pm. Stein, R. and E. Bachta. "Breaking the Bottleneck: Using Pseudo-Wikis to Enable Rich Web Authoring for Non-Technical Staff Members". MW2010 http://www.archimuse.com/mw2010/papers/stein-bachta/stein-bachta.html

41. Authoring Helpers: Flickr Set

42. Grid Tools for All The web is full of grid system frameworks. Several online web apps exist Grid calculators, bookmarklets, etc. Several open themes are popping up using a grid system. Push for 960 WordPress base theme Drupal Joomla

43. Why 960? Most modern monitors support at least 1024 × 768 pixel resolution. 960 is divisible by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 16, 20, 24, 30, 32, 40, 48, 60, 64, 80, 96, 120, 160, 192, 240, 320 and 480. This makes it a highly flexible base number to work with.

44. Tools – 960 frameworks 960 Grid System Fluid 960 Grid System 960 Gridder

46. Omega

47. + many more

48. 960 Blank Canvas

49. 960wp

51. Tools – 960 alternatives – jQuery Masonry “Whereas floating arranges elements horizontally then vertically, Masonry arranges elements vertically then horizontally along a grid. The result minimizes vertical gaps between elements of varying height, like a mason fitting stones in a wall.”

52. Tools – 960 alternatives – cssgrid.net Mobile view Desktop monitor view “Scrap 1024! Design once at 1140 for 1280, and with very little extra work, it will adapt itself to work on just about any monitor, even mobile.”

53. Tools – 960 alts – Fluid 960 Grid System 775px wide 1840 px wide The Fluid 960 Grid System templates have been built upon the work of Nathan Smith and his 960 Grid System using effects from the MooTools andjQuery JavaScript libraries.

54. Tools – 960 alternatives – Roll Your Own Tiny Fluid Grid The 1Kb CSS Grid A fresh take on the CSS grid. (loosely based on Nathan Smith’s 960 Grid System). Its mission is to be lightweight. A lightweight customizable tool for building base

55. Tools – 960 alternatives – Roll Your Own .grid_1 { width:60px; } .grid_2 { width:140px; } .grid_3 { width:220px; } .grid_4 { width:300px; } .grid_5 { width:380px; } .grid_6 { width:460px; } .grid_7 { width:540px; } .grid_8 { width:620px; } .grid_9 { width:700px; } .grid_10 { width:780px; } .grid_11 { width:860px; } .grid_12 { width:940px; } .column { float: left; margin: 0 10px; overflow: hidden; display: inline; } .row { width: 960px; margin: 0 auto; overflow: hidden; } The 1Kb CSS Grid Lightweight base cssstylesheet for the grid structure. Leaves it up to the designer to define a ‘reset’ stylesheet and style.

56. Sustainability of Grids In the same way that grid principles transfer from print to web, they stand a much better chance of remaining relevant on new device. Open-source content management system adoption of grids will further broaden their reach.

57. Sustainability of Grids Grids are an established design tool based on a long history of documented knowledge. Grids are everywhere in our society, and have been for centuries. The Grid is a classic tool that won’t be going away anytime soon.

58. The Future of Grids Watch for this book: A Practical Guide to Designing Grid Systems for the Web By Mark Boultonmarkboulton.co.uk

60. Indianapolis Museum of Art, USAMW2011 Mini-Workshop Philadelphia, PA April 9th, 2011